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Negative Attitudes Towards Domestic Leisure Tourism in Bulgaria: Regional Disparities and Policy Implications

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  • Desislava Varadzhakova

    (National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl.3, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria)

  • Alexander Naydenov

    (Statistics and Econometrics Department, Faculty of Applied Informatics and Statistics, University of National and World Economy, Student District, 19 December 8th Str., 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria)

  • Georgi Zhelezov

    (National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl.3, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria)

  • Nikola Naumov

    (Business Division, Fujairah Al Faseel Campus, Higher Colleges of Technology, Al Qasar Kuwait Road, Fujairah P.O. Box 31000, United Arab Emirates)

  • Marina Raykova

    (National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl.3, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria)

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the attitudes of Bulgarian citizens towards domestic leisure tourism, to identify the reasons behind negative attitudes across different territory types. An adapted version of Fishbein’s multi-attribute model was applied to a nationally representative sample through a two-staged clustered sampling method with a stratification at two stages. The purpose of this research is to examine consumer attitudes towards both winter and summer domestic leisure tourism by region. The highest level of negative attitudes towards domestic winter leisure tourism were found in non-maritime territories, followed closely by the densely populated non-maritime and the maritime areas. The main concerns are the lack of natural snow and insufficient tourism services. For summer leisure tourism, negative attitudes are relatively higher with the overdevelopment of resorts and pollution cited as the primary issues. The discussion compares these findings with those of previous studies. This study contributes to the existing literature through its original approach and practical relevance. Its significance lies in the potential to inform the development of effective regional marketing policies. Practical and theoretical implications are provided, offering insights into regional and national tourism strategies. These include territorial planning to prevent overdevelopment, improving tourism services, and adopting the best practice to mitigate environmental pollution.

Suggested Citation

  • Desislava Varadzhakova & Alexander Naydenov & Georgi Zhelezov & Nikola Naumov & Marina Raykova, 2025. "Negative Attitudes Towards Domestic Leisure Tourism in Bulgaria: Regional Disparities and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7730-:d:1734232
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wei Zheng & Hongliang Qiu & Alastair M. Morrison, 2024. "The effects of knowledge of tourist civility and Taoist values on tourist civility intentions based on an extended theory of planned behavior," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(6), pages 6017-6032, December.
    2. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
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