Increasing the competitiveness of tourism in rural areas through clustering

Irina Shtonova

Abstract: Tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors both in Bulgaria and in the world. However local players often receive few benefits from its development. The main reason for that is the low competitiveness of the sector. This article aims to summarize the rich international scientific and practical experience in clustering in tourism. The main thesis is that clustering is particularly useful for improving the competitiveness of both touristic destinations and touristic enterprises in rural areas because of the bigger scale of production, the shared use of resources and the quick introduction of innovations by the small and medium enterprises which dominate in the majority of the Bulgarian rural areas.

Keywords: cluster; competitiveness; innovations; rural tourism

Date published: 2018-01-29