Geographia Polonica (2023) vol. 96, iss. 3

Camping Tourism in Bulgaria: A time-series analysis of tourist demand

Alexander Naydenov, Nikola Naumov, Desislava Varadzhakova

Geographia Polonica (2023) vol. 96, iss. 3, pp. 361-380 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0260

Abstract

Camping tourism has become very popular since the beginning of COVID-19 as tourists started to look for socially distanced and yet experiential activities. However, the academic scholarship is relatively thin, particularly in the context of Eastern Europe – a geographical location with rich traditions in outdoor camping andtourism. Drawing on a quantitative methodology based on ARIMA and SARIMA, this study addresses this gap by forecasting the changes in camping tourism development in the short term in Bulgaria. The results indicate a decline of inbound tourism and international visittors but also suggest a positive trend of developmentfor the domestic market.

Keywords: Camping grounds, campsites, Bulgaria, trends, tourism, time series

Alexander Naydenov [anaydenov@unwe.bg], Department of Statistics and Econometrics University of National and World Economy 1700 Student Town, Sofia: Bulgaria
Nikola Naumov [nick.naumov@northampton.ac.uk], Higher Colleges of Technology Fujairah Women’s College Al Qasar, Kuwait Road, Al Faseel, PO Box 1626, Fujairah: United Arab Emirates; University of Northampton Waterside Campus, University Drive, NN1 5PH, Northampton: United Kingdom
Desislava Varadzhakova [dvaradzhakova@gmail.com], National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Department of Geography Bulgarian Academy of Sciences G. Bonchev Str., bl. 3, 1113 Sofia: Bulgaria