Nikola Naumov
Articles
Camping Tourism in Bulgaria: A time-series analysis of tourist demand
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
[anaydenov@unwe.bg], Department of Statistics and Econometrics University of National and World Economy 1700 Student Town, Sofia: Bulgaria
[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
[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
Geographia Polonica (2019) vol. 92, iss. 4, pp. 379-393 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0147
Abstract
The 1989 fall of the Iron Curtain marked the beginning of new economic, socio-cultural and political realities for the former socialist states in Central and Eastern Europe. Along with the economic restructuring from state centralised to market economy, democratisation and liberalisation initiated a transformation of the socialis turban space, which was characterised by the changing role of its iconic landmarks. This conceptual paper examines these post-1989 changes, which range between the removal of these landmarks and their transition into market led iconic and flagship attractions. The paper identifies the changing role of tourism from a top bottom orchestrated to a market led activity, which explains the transformation of some of these landmarks. It introduces a new framework for studying this process by suggesting that iconisation, de-iconisation and re-iconisation processes are interrelated to other strategies and approaches to the transition of the socialist urban landscape into a western market economy. The paper identifies avenues for further research and provides some recommendations for improving the management of similar processes.
Keywords: iconicity, socialism, heritage, tourism, visitor attractions, Central and Eastern Europe
[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
[adi.weidenfeld@coventry.ac.uk], School of Marketing & Management, Faculty of Business & Law Coventry University, Jaguar Building CV1 1FB, Priory Street, Coventry: United Kingdom