Leading perspectives to present Bulgaria as a destination for wine tourism

Abstract

The current paper’s goal is to outline some leading perspectives for destination Bulgaria to develop wine tourism as an alternative form of tourism attracting specific tourist segment. Wine and gastronomic tours are gaining great popularity around the world. They gain significant recognition in the Bulgarian travel and tourism industry as an alternative to mass tourism practices. Wine tourism crеates new opportunities for the development of certain regions that remain off the side of the traditional tourist routes and contribute local communities’ incomes. The interest in this type of tourism is growing due to the fact that it is associated with a series of events that improve the image of destinations. All these circumstances determine the importance of the topic.To fulfil the goal set at the beginning, various research methods were comprehended, such as: research of theoretical studies; processing, analysis and systematization of statistical data; empirical methods and studying. The first part of the publication examines main definitions of wine tourism, giving a short historical review of this alternative form of tourism. The second part of the report is dedicated to the results of the analysis — revealing the resource potential and some significant wine cellars, distinct for visitors and wine professionals. The final part consists of outlined possibilities and perspectives for development, summarizing some research results.