ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS OF THE TOURISM POTENTIAL OF THE BULGARIAN DANUBE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE NORTH-WEST PLANNING REGION

Abstract

Tourism aims to satisfy certain social, cultural, spiritual, aesthetic, medical, etc. needs. This implies the idea of a conscious choice of tourist routes, of the period and duration of stay of each individual tourist. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and analyze the tourism potential of 13 Danube municipalities located in the North-West planning region of Bulgaria. A tourism portrait of the municipalities of Bregovo, Novo Selo, Vidin, Dimovo, Lom, Valchedrum, Kozloduy, Mizia, Oryahovo, Dolna Mitropolia, Gulyantsi, Nikopol and Belene has been developed, which consistently includes an assessment of the tourist geographic situation, natural and anthropogenic tourism resources, tourism infrastructure, types of tourism offered in the municipality, priorities and guidelines for tourism development. From the point of view of the Bulgarian Danube municipalities, a state strategy is needed that offers the possibility to develop the districts in the north-western planning region by diversifying socio-economic functions, developing the local network, diversifying the tourist offer, developing transport networks. Only then, the region along the river. Danube region will become competitive, attractive, limiting the migration of labour both to other regions of the country and to other countries.