Real estate prices in Bulgaria recorded a slight increase in 2014, according to the country’s National Statistical Institute.

According to the real estate website imot.bg, the average 1-bed apartment available for sale in Sofia is of 45.2sqm and is worth €31,878, thus the price per square meter is €706. Since the beginning of the year 1-bed apartment prices have increased by 2.5%. However, the average price of 2-bed apartments in Sofia is €55,477, which is €796sqm, up by just 0.8% this year.

The largest rise this year has been for 3-bed apartments, selling on average for €89,207 in the capital, for 106sqm, or €841sqm, which is an increase of 4.1%.

However, the number of EU tourists in Bulgaria has dropped by 16% since the beginning of the year, according to data from the association of tour operators and tour agencies (ABTTA).

According to ABTTA, only half of all tourists in Bulgaria now come from the EU, compared to 70% five years ago.

The chairperson of the association reportedly said that the decreasing number of tourists from countries like Germany, the UK and the Nordics has been declining steadily over the past few years.