The marketing of Bulgaria as a tourist destination in Malta

Abstract

The tourism sector is a very important pillar for the Bulgarian economy and that is why it is of great importance the destination to be marketed properly and successfully. Bulgaria has many assets at its disposal in order to develop its tourism potential, however the role and performance of the tourism stakeholders and distribution channels is crucial - namely the way Bulgaria is marketed and branded as a tourist destination internationally and the perception the people have about the country. The research done for this dissertation strives to examine how Bulgaria is marketed as a tourist destination in Malta, how attractive is the image of Bulgaria for the Maltese citizens and how they perceive Bulgaria and its tourism products. For this purpose, there were conducted semi-structured interviews with some of the leading outbound tourist agencies in Malta. Furthermore, there were distributed 200 questionnaires to the Maltese residents. The research is also supported by secondary data - books, journals, brochures, statistics, and magazines. The findings from the research reveal that there are various marketing strategies adopted by the agencies which offer packages to Bulgaria and that the majority of the Maltese residents have a positive image of Bulgaria and would choose it as a tourist destination. There were also identified the most successful distribution channels with the internet being quite used and preferred by many. However, it was indicated also room for improvement in the packages offered by the agencies and some recommendations were made regarding the branding of the country and how to market the destination more successfully.