Key Problems and Gaps in the EU Funds Absorption for Heritage Attractions Development: the Case of Bulgaria

Vasil Marinov; Mariana Assenova; Elka Dogramadjieva

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6768

Authors

Vasil Marinov University of Sofia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0081-9828
He is a Professor at the Geography of Tourism Department of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” working in the department since 1985. In 1997-2001 he used to be deputy director of the National Center for Regional Development (Sofia, Bulgaria). His areas of expertise include tourism development, planning and policy, tourism demand, regional development, planning and policy, EU cohesion policy and structural funds programming.
Mariana Assenova University of Sofia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6639-5816
She is an Associate Professor at the Geography of Tourism Department of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and works in the department since 1993. In 1997-2001 she was a Deputy Minister at the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy in charge of tourism and also headed the boards of directors of several large tourist enterprises. She published research papers on sustainable tourism development, corporate social responsibility and resource efficiency in tourism, tourism marketing, destination management, etc.
Elka Dogramadjieva University of Sofia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4025-8439

She is an Associate Professor at the Geography of Tourism Department of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She teaches courses in Methods of Tourism Research, Tourism Resources, Development and Current Problems of Tourism in Bulgaria in BSc and MSc Tourism Programs. She has published over fifty academic papers, conference and consultant reports as well as several book chapters. Her primary research interests include sustainable tourism development, regional tourism studies, and specialized types of tourism.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6768

Keywords:

Heritage Attractions, Public Projects, Evaluation

Abstract

Heritage tourism has always been considered an important part of Bulgarian tourism portfolio and a significant regional development driver. It is officially set as a priority in a number of strategic documents at a national, regional and local level. Substantial financial resources for heritage socialization have been allocated after the accession of the country to the EU in 2007. A special scheme for tourism attractions development was implemented within the Operational Program “Regional Development” (OPRD) 2007-2013, with approved funding for a total of 120 heritage sites throughout the country. Yet, the EU funded projects have raised a fierce public debate regarding the delicate balance between heritage commodification and conservation as well as the disputable costs and benefits in terms of heritage protection, tourism development and its regional impacts. Based on the understanding that attractions are the core element of a competitive tourism product, the paper presents a brief review of the OPRD 2007-2013 supported projects and analyzes the experience gained in the process of projects’ selection and implementation.

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Key Problems and Gaps in the EU Funds Absorption for Heritage Attractions Development: the Case of Bulgaria

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