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Bulgaria third in Adventure Tourism Development Index

Friday, Apr 24, 2015

What does this actually mean? To put it simply it means the country has an enormous but untapped potential to develop this tourist segment that has rapidly been gaining in popularity. This is indicated by the latest country ranking by the Adventure Travel and Trade Association (ATTA). According to observers, this is a sector that is yet to develop in this country.

According to the ATTA the countries where adventure tourism is most advanced in 2015 are Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The top three developing adventure tourism destinations are Estonia, Chile and Bulgaria. Apparently, adventure tours account for a growing share of the tourist offers in the world – last year alone this segment generated revenues totaling USD 265 billion which is 65 percent up on 2009.

“According to the ATTA, adventure tours must include two of the three elements: connection with nature, interaction with culture and physical activity. We in Bulgaria are able to combine all three,” says Gergana Nikolova who represents the world organization in this country. According to foreign experts what makes Bulgaria unique are its mountains, preserved ancient towns and villages, as well as the age-old traditions kept alive by the local population. Getting to know the country may be just the adventure people wanting to get away from the tourist clichés and “asphalt holidays” are looking for. Moreover developing this segment will attract more visitors from abroad and will generate more revenues. Yet, the key to the country’s developing into a leading adventure tourism destination is in regional cooperation.

“When it comes to adventure tours, we should be talking about the Balkans as one whole. We think that the key to the promotion of this lucrative industry is in offering packages of shared itineraries that cover the region,” says Gergana Nikolova further. And adds that having more than one country included in the package tours may attract more tourists, especially from remote destinations like USA, Canada, Japan.

“We have beautiful nature and protected territories with incredible biological diversity,” says Gergana Nikolova further. “Just one example – 70 percent of the birds in Europe nest and spend the winter in Bulgaria. So, bird watching should be an offer that should be made much more popular among our guests from abroad. Let us not forget our cultural and historical heritage which tourists find so fascinating, But our trump card in adventure travel are the Bulgarian mountains which are excellently suited for extreme tourism as well as for more relaxed hikes that will bring holidaymakers in contact with the local population and tradition. So, we have an enormous potential! But to unfold it we need to work in partnership with the neighbouring countries.”

Fans of adventure travel are able to traverse the country and get to know its most pristine nooks and corners, pay visits to old country houses, try local bio products, go rafting, rock climbing, pick herbs or go snowshoe hiking. But what matters most is the unique experience itself.

“Because many people in Bulgaria think that when they take tourists to a traditional restaurant offering local cuisine, that in itself is an adventure, yet it is far from the potential of the gourmet tourism that has been growing so popular,” says Gergana Nikolova. According to ATTA data one adventure tourism holidaymaker spends an average of USD 300-400 a day. Unlike the run-of-the-mill tourism that is predominant in Bulgaria, alternative travels such as these bring local communities a good profit, as 65 percent of the money tourists spend is left for the destination of their choice instead of sinking into the pockets of tour operators or travel agents.

Source: bnr.bg