According to a report by the National Bank of Moldova, in the third quarter of 2023, Moldova’s exports of services increased by 4.3%, reaching $642.91 million compared to the same period in 2022. However, imports of services grew by 15.9%, totaling around $458.5 million. This led to a decline of 16.4% in the surplus of foreign trade in services, which was $184.38 million. The growth in exports was primarily driven by information and technology services, which increased by 30.6% to $143.51 million. Professional and management consulting services also saw significant growth, rising by 48.1% to $41.68 million. However, technical, commercial, and other business services experienced a decrease of 30.6% compared to the third quarter of 2022. On the other hand, the increase in imports of services was mainly due to a 19.4% rise in personal travel services and an 8.9% increase in transport services, particularly air transport. Overall, computer services and tourism services played crucial roles in the growth of exports and imports, respectively.
On the other hand, tourism services, which constitute a significant part of total services exports, decreased by 10.9 per cent, falling to $185.1 million, the main reason being a 20 per cent decrease in personal tourism services. However, business tourism services increased by 25.5 per cent.
