Over three million foreigners visit Moldova in 2016

Chisinau, 13 February /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova becomes more and more attractive for foreign citizens, according to the Tourism Agency, which refers to data by the National Statistics Bureau (BNS). BNS said that the number of crossings of the state border by foreign citizens at the entrance in Moldova had stood at 3.4 million in 2016, by 18.9 per cent more against the year before.

Every second foreign citizen to cross the Moldovan state border was from Romania, followed by Ukraine (28.7 per cent of all citizens). The next countries, with a big difference in terms of share, are Russia (7.3 per cent), Bulgaria (1.6 per cent), Italy (one per cent), Germany (0.7 per cent), Turkey and Israel (0.6 per cent each), United States (0.5 per cent) Belarus and Poland (with 0.4 per cent each), Portugal (0.3 per cent).   

Most foreign citizens, respectively 84 per cent of the visitors, preferred to travel by their own motor transport means, 14.3 per cent – by air transport and as little as 1.7 per cent – by train.   

Official statistics also shows that the number of crossings of the state border by Moldovan citizens, at the exit from Moldova, increased, although much slower than the number of foreigners who visited Moldova. The number of crossings of the border by Moldovans grew by 3.6 per cent against the previous year, to 5.8 million. Experts explain the impressive number of crossings compared to the number of the residents by the fact that a lot of people left abroad many times, while the others – tens of times per year, given the trade they practice.  

In departures abroad, Moldovan citizens opted for motor transport means in nine cases of ten.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)