Development of a Tourist Experience Model with the Aim of Increasing Economic Efficiency – On the Example of the Destination Sofia

Abstract: The research examines current trends in destination development and the increasing demand for services that create experiential value through additional services and travel opportunities. This pursuit of experiences aims to facilitate rejuvenation, capitalizing on the abundant tourism resources, ex­emplified by Sofia city.

Objective: This study aims to construct a comprehensive tourism experi­ential model for the given destination, employing an integrated approach that harnesses the untapped potential of various resources within the tour­ist area. The primary goal is to enhance the destination’s economic efficien­cy. This approach envisions multifaceted benefits, including bolstering the tourism sector, contributing to GDP growth, and fostering sustainable ad­vancement for urban destinations. Furthermore, it aims to foster year-round growth in demand and supply for tourist products and services in Sofia. The focal point lies in exploiting the destination’s developmental prospects, fue­led by evolving consumer preferences, driven by the quest for authentic and distinct travel experiences.

9th International Scientific ERAZ Conference – ERAZ 2023 – Conference Proceedings: KNOWLEDGE BASED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, hybrid – online, virtually and in person, Prague, Czech Republic, June 1, 2023

ERAZ Conference Proceedings published by: Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans – Belgrade, Serbia

ERAZ conference partners: Faculty of Logistics, University of Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia); University of National and World Economy – UNWE, Sofia (Bulgaria); Center for Political Research and Documentation (KEPET), Research Laboratory of the Department of Political Science of University of Crete (Greece); Institute of Public Finance – Zagreb (Croatia); Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Ohrid, University of St. Kliment Ohridski from Bitola (North Macedonia)

ERAZ Conference 2023 Conference Proceedings: ISBN 978-86-80194-72-1, ISSN 2683-5568, DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/ERAZ.2023

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission. 

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Additional reading

Emilova, I. (2023). Socio-cultural dimensions of urban tourism in the context of an experience economy. In Collection of scientific reports from the VI International Scientific and Practi­cal Conference “Sociocultural Codes of Modern Development” – Plovdiv, 2023.

National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism Development in the Republic of Bulgaria 2014-2030 and Action Plan 2017-2020 – November 2019.