Relationships between education and innovations in the recreation Industry in Bulgaria

Abstract

PURPOSE: The goal of the study is to analyse the advantages in the Bulgarian full educational vertical in wellness culture, in two professional fields and establish the external evaluation for proposed knowledge, intellectual and practical skills of specialised personnel in Bulgarian niche tourism by defining the importance of the studied indicators. METHODS: We apply a psychometric assessment of customers’ opinions to obtain results on the meanings of numbers (points/weight). The respondents' opinions we measure with an adaptive version of the questionnaire for studying through the usage of smart tools of google drive. RESULTS: This paper offers an analysis of advantages for accredited and integrated into the practice innovations in support of Niche tourism. We created new educational programs in response to the latest changes in the Bulgarian educational and scientific policies and regulations. In the last 10 years, Bulgaria has successfully integrated six new specialized (in niche tourism) programs in two professional categories – Healthcare & sport and is establishing a Centre for Excellence. CONCLUSIONS: The established regularities are a valuable reference point to build the full educational vertical from secondary level to doctoral level with innovative programs in support of smart services for Niche tourism and knowledge-based economy in Bulgaria.