Entertainment - the Modern Trend in Tourism

The day of Bulgaria at the world EXPO in Saragossa attracted attention towards our country with the colorful folklore costumes and dances of the students from the Philip Koutev school in Kotel and the modern remix of folklore songs of Twins Stoyanov Duet. Part of this spectacular show was also the puppet performance of Albena Theatre. In the Congress Hall of the EXPO the audience cheered loudly Stundgi and Elitsa and even got in time with the drums and tarambuka for a few minutes. The show, directed by professor Bonio Lungov, was attended not only by foreigners but also by Bulgarians from the Bulgarian community in Aragon.

For one day only more than five thousand people visited the Bulgarian pavilion, which happened to be under the lucky number “3”. They were exposed to the wealth of our waters and had the chance to see the replica of the Panagjurishte golden treasure. Bulgaria showed its unique water resources, the traditions in utilizing them, and modern SPA tourism sites. With its audio-visual effects, the Bulgarian pavilion turned out to be one of the most vanguard projects in Saragossa. The water curtains and the mega graphical project (size 32x7 meters) – a tri-dimensional picture of the Rila lakes, attracted like a magnet. The visitors were also impressed by the facade of the pavilion with its Cyrillic symbols. Mousaka, kavarma, shopska salad, yoghourt with jam from roses were the most frequently ordered dishes in the pavilion.

New Friends

Advertising in a rather unique and attractive manner the various holiday and travel options, Bulgaria gained new friends. According to the Deputy Minister of Economy Nina Radeva the effect of the exhibition is indirect and it will lead to an increase in the number of tourists. This is also the purpose of all international exhibitions in which our country takes place – in London, Belgrade, Moscow, Bucharest.

The professionally made stands and intriguing messages raised Bulgaria’s image as a good tourist destination. However, it is also clear to all professionals in the sector – hotel and restaurant owners, 30 GAMESPECTRUM september - october 2008 GAMESPECTRUM september - october 2008 31 Entertainment- tour operators, animators that to be listed as a most preferred tourist destination we need to offer newer opportunities. Tourism is a complex product, which needs a nice packing. In order to sell it has to highlight the cultural variety of the country, the traditions and the specifics of the different regions.

Rich People Know Why

First of all rich people know how to spend their money. This is why they are very demanding when it comes to a holiday destination. It is a fact that the Bulgarian coastline is beautiful, the cuisine has an excellent reputation, but what can we offer our foreign guests when they are not at the beach, or when they are in a winter resort? What entertainments do we envisage to get them away from the daily routine? How do we make them enjoy, so that they keep bright colorful memories, learn more about our country and get back?

People pay for the pleasure to feel special, even for a short time. This is why the Center for Tourist Animation in the region of Aidushko Sborishte has already gained fens – not just foreigners, but a lot of Bulgarians too. The attractions offered here are an unforgettable experience. Mladen Peev, one of the organizers, points out that many companies have recently become interested in the team building programs. They include riding a jeep on an ancient Roman road in the Troyan Balkan, mountain hiking, orienteering with maps, compasses and a GPS system. This region, also known under the name of Balkania, has recently become a great tourist attraction. Many new hotels were built and they got linked with agencies specialized in holidays at the seaside. They started offering their clients short trips to the Balkan with sport and entertainment programs, picnics in the meadows, etc. The traditional Haiduk Shashlik only adds to the special flavor of the region. Mr.Peev underlines that the foreign tourists are fascinated and eager to return already on the following year. Many hotels offer also some nontraditional activities like diving, beach volleyball, beach football, darts, and paintball. Modern tourists are really faced with a lot of temptations!

The Animators – Living Experience and Never Subsiding Energy

World practice shows that 65-70% of the profit in tourism comes from side services like animation, and only 30% of it is generated from the core tourist services. Unfortunately, the situation in Bulgaria is different. Animation is still to become an integral part of the tourist industry. The President of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association /BHRA/ Blagoi Ragin has repeatedly underlined that this is one of the weaknesses of Bulgarian tourism. According to him yachting is not well explored either, and it has a big economic potential. The professionals in tourism have always called for closer cooperation with the educational establishments, which prepare employees for tourism. Not only the animators, but also all working in the sector should learn how to make the tourists get back. In an attempt to optimize their businesses, now more and more hotel owners hire animators.

A Real Boom

In the next couple of years a real boom of wine tourism is expected in the country. Many of the wine companies plan to open wineries with wine tasting. Thus the tourists who come to visit Bulgaria will be able to taste the famous Bulgarian wine and get acquainted with the country from a new perspective. An advantage of the wine tourism is that it is not seasonal. All professionals are certain that more yearlong products should be offered in order to boost the development of the sector. This also creates permanent employment and raises the motivation of the staff.

Hunting tourism is another resource. It is a favorite sport of the rich, just like golf. We already have about 10 golf fields and in a couple of years Bulgaria may also become a golf destination. Balneology and spa tourism have a big potential too. Bulgaria ranks second in the world in the number of mineral springs, and this could attract a lot of European citizens. The invoices issued by the Bulgarian spa centers and spa hotels are already recognized as an expense, which is reimbursed by the social funds. Rural, cultural, alternative and congress tourism have good chances for development too. If all of the above opportunities were explored we would be able to host 10 to 12 million tourists a year, believes Mr. Ragin. The accession of Bulgaria to the EU is good for tourism, too. The experts in the tourist industry indicate that the growth of the sector for last year only was 30%. We should not forget, however, that we also lost about 75% of the tourists from Macedonia and Serbia.

For tourism to continue to develop and to attract rich, solvent and intelligent tourists, the infrastructure needs to be improved. The airports in the inside of the country, which are not used, should be given on concession regardless of the fact if they are agricultural, military or civil. The concessionaires have to make arrangements for cost effective flights from Europe during the weekends like in Poland. A big reserve in this are also the hunting sites.

King Gaming

Although gaming tourism is not officially listed in the tourist strategy, it exists in practice and develops successfully over the past years. Most of the big old hotels in Sofia (Hemus, Rila, Rodina, Princess) have casinos and count heavily on this income source. Another part of the gaming tourism is concentrated in the luxury sea resorts around Varna. The most frequent visitors are tourists from Israel who come to Bulgaria for a few days especially to play. This business develops successfully in Svilengrad too. The location allows to attract investors from Turkey and even players in view of the fact that the casinos are not allowed in this country. There are passionate fens of gaming also among the Russian tourists in our resorts. The return of the old clientele, among them the Russians, is already visible for the tour operators. It turns out that the Russians no longer prefer to have a holiday in Turkey, Greece or Egypt but would rather get back to destinations they are familiar with. It is a fact that the Russian tourists are among the most solvent. When on holiday they do not hesitate to spend money around. Bulgaria can benefit from the gaming passions and attract a lot of foreign tourists. During the day they can enjoy on the beach, and during the night – in the casinos.

This business is already landing off. Instead of discussing the pros and cons we better develop a national strategy for the development of gaming as part of the tourist industry. For all the rich tourists gaming may attract, experts are unanimous that it should be put under strict control.

Las Vegas – the American Dream

Las Vegas keeps up the high standards, already established by the “bad guys” as they used to call the casino owners in the past. Nowadays Las Vegas is one of the most attractive places in the world in the area of entertainment tourism and gaming - one of the fairy tales of the American dream.

In almost all states of the USA a process of liberalization of gambling is currently observed, lifting the bans imposed in the second half of the previous century. Another big gambling center – Reno, is situated in the other corner of Nevada. If you spend some longer time there you will benefit from great price reductions. During the day you may take a trip to one of the many incredibly beautiful places, but make you get back to the roulette again in the night.