State and Development of Tourism in Rural Areas of Bulgaria

Bozhidar Ivanov, Hrabrin Bachev, Dilyana Mitova, Daniela Dimitrova, Vladimir Dimitrov, Vasil Stoychev

Abstract: The main threats to the future development of rural areas in Bulgaria are associated with depopulation and aging population, high risk of poverty and social isolation. Overcoming these problems and ensuring sustainable dynamism within rural communities require identification and implementation of appropriate economic models, that transform untapped resource potential into added value. In this sense, tourism in rural areas - rural, agricultural, eco, green, cultural and heritage, wine, hunting etc. is a type of economic activity that provides opportunities to generate a number of direct and indirect benefits for socio-economic development at the local level. The subject of the present study is the state and the development of tourism as an economic activity in rural areas of Bulgaria. Applying the methods of the comparative and dynamic analysis the main trends in the changes of the indicators: accommodation establishments (number), bed-places (number), available bed-nights (number), nights spent (number), arrivals in accommodation establishments (number), revenues from nights spent (BGN), average revenue per person-night (BGN), average length of stay of tourists (in days), average occupancy rates of bed places (%) by statistical regions and by municipalities were outlined. The data on the number of nights spent in rural areas during the period 2011–2015 showed growing interest of Bulgarian and foreign tourists. The main part of revenues from nights spent was accumulated in municipalities where for many years tourism has been one of the main sources of income such as Nessebar, Balchik, Sozopol, Tsarevo, Byala (sea tourism), Bansko, Samokov (skiing tourism), Velingrad, Sandanski, Hisar (spa, balneological and wellness tourism). The existing resource potential for offering tourism in rural municipalities should be realized through the creation of complex, thematic tourism products, providing synergies in ecological, social and economic terms.

Keywords: development; rural areas; sustainability; tourism

Date published: 2019-04-25