Moldova's H1 tourist numbers down 76.3% y/y

The data reflects the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the measures taken by the authorities as a result after enforcing a state of emergency on the Moldovan territory starting March 17, the statistical office, BNS, said in a statement.

As much as 30.4% of 19,135 foreign tourists who visited the country during the first half arrived from Romania, 15.4% came from Ukraine, while Russian tourists accounted for 9.6%.

Tourists booked 186,528 overnights in Moldova during the first six months of 2020, down 70% on the year. Foreign tourists booked 45,848 overnights, a drop of 74% on the year.

During the January-June period, the average length of stay of a Moldovan tourist in the accommodation facilities in the country was 5.5 days, while foreign tourists stayed for 3.4 days on average.

In 2019, the number of tourists staying in Moldova rose by 2.8% on the year to 374,765.