Marina Raykova

The transformation of the labour market is a significant challenge for sustainable regional development, especially in countries with pronounced socioeconomic inequalities. This study aims to analyse the spatial disparities in the Bulgarian labour market at the regional level (NUTS 3, districts) for the period of 2021–2024, combining descriptive spatial analysis, multidimensional cluster analysis, and Local Indicator of Spatial Association (Local Moran’s I-LISA). The analysis is based on three key indicators: employment rates, unemployment rates, and the relative wage index, calculated against the national average. The results of the descriptive analysis reveal clear spatial imbalances, with low labour income persisting in many districts despite relatively high employment rates. The cluster analysis identifies four types of labour markets with specific socioeconomic profiles, confirming that the spatial disparities are a result of specific combinations of indicators and economic specialisation at the regional level. The LISA analysis further reveals the existence of spatially stable cores of vulnerability and local spatial anomalies that highlight the importance of regional context and spatial proximity. The results indicate the need for a spatially differentiated approach in regional policies in line with the objectives of SDG8, SDG10, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the EU’s cohesion policy.

Winter tourism is increasingly influenced by changing socio-demographic dynamics, climate change, and evolving leisure preferences. While prior research has examined winter tourist motivations, sustainability strategies and climate change adoption, less attention has been paid to differences between urban and rural residents in their attitudes toward domestic winter leisure tourism. This study addresses this gap by exploring variations in participation patterns, service evaluations, and overall tourism experiences among urban and rural Bulgarian residents. Drawing on a quantitative survey of urban and rural residents (n = 1003), the research systematizes the general characteristics of domestic winter leisure tourism practices and evaluates key tourism service dimensions, including accessibility, accommodation, pricing, infrastructure, and environmental quality. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses were applied to identify statistically significant differences between groups. The findings reveal distinct behavioural and perceptual patterns: urban residents demonstrate higher participation frequency and place greater emphasis on service quality and diversified amenities, whereas rural residents show stronger sensitivity to pricing and accessibility factors. Differences are also observed in the overall evaluation of the tourism experience, reflecting structural and socio-economic disparities. The study contributes to winter tourism literature by integrating spatial residence into the analysis of domestic tourism demand and experience assessment. The results provide practical implications for destination managers and policymakers seeking to design differentiated marketing strategies and improve service provision in line with the needs of diverse domestic segments.

The present study employs cluster analysis to segment Bulgarian domestic tourists based on microdata from a nationally representative survey (n = 1003) of summer holidaymakers on the Black Sea coast destinations. The primary objective is to identify homogeneous groups of tourists with similar demographic and behavioural characteristics, thereby enabling the development of more targeted tourism policies and marketing strategies. The methodological framework includes both hierarchical and non-hierarchical (k-means) clustering, applied to standardized variables such as age, household size, satisfaction with various aspects of the tourist experience, and behavioural intentions. The analysis reveals four distinct tourist profiles, each characterized by specific patterns of evaluation and travel behaviour—retirement age loyalists, middle-aged sceptics, younger moderate enthusiasts and young high loyalists. The findings reveal the heterogeneity of the domestic tourism market in Bulgaria and provide a data-driven foundation for enhancing the effectiveness of tourism management and promotional efforts.

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.

Tourism is a very important sector for the Bulgarian economy with its GDP share varying between 10 and 13% before the COVID-19 health crisis. In 2021 domestic tourism accounted for 89% of the personal travel expenditures of Bulgarians. The purpose of the present paper is to analyse public attitudes towards the domestic leisure tourism in Bulgaria and its spatial distribution at the NUTS-2 regions and the residence place type level. The data used in the research are from a national representative survey based on a two-staged random sample stratified by the Bulgarian districts and the residence place type (capital, district administrative centre, town and village). The methodology includes: literature review, descriptive analysis, spatial analysis, average values, building one- and two- dimensional frequency distributions, statistical hypothesis testing, etc. The indicators used in the paper are: practices for domestic leisure tourism, stay duration in domestic resorts, frequency of domestic leisure tourism, people not practicing domestic leisure tourism, domestic leisure tourism average satisfaction level. The obtained results show the differences between those indicators in NUTS-2 and residence place type level, as well as between summer and winter leisure tourism. The presented results are of particular importance, since some of these differences are significantly large.

The current urban development in Europe faces many complex problems, mainly related to the deepening of socio-economic inequalities, spatial polarization and ghettoization, the increasing share of marginalized populations and those at risk of poverty, and school segregation. These issues are particularly acute in countries with a heterogeneous ethnic structure, and the Roma population has emerged as the most vulnerable group within Europe, particularly in Bulgaria. Roma ethnical group constituted 4.4% of the total Bulgarian population in 2021 and shows a high territorial concentration in several well-delineated areas, namely North-Western, North-Eastern, Maritsa, Trans-Balkan, and Burgas regions. In addition, more than half of them live in cities and possess the most favorable demographic features and the highest migration mobility compared to other ethnic groups. So far, despite the long-standing efforts of the Bulgarian state for Roma's successful integration, there are continuous and unfavorable trends of deepening processes of social exclusion, intolerance manifestations, spatial segregation, poor housing conditions, and lack of employment. The paper explores the current spatial polarization and urban ghettoization of the Roma population in Bulgaria. The spatial segregation of Roma urban communities is a significant issue in Bulgaria, and efforts to address their integration through national and regional strategies have not yet yielded substantial improvements. The extensive knowledge of the Roma population's cultural and other inherent peculiarities and the involvement of Roma stakeholders in policy discussions and implementations are crucial for achieving sustainable change in Bulgarian society.

The Republic of Bulgaria recognizes the independence of the Republic of Moldova on December 28, 1991. On February 5, 1992, diplomatic relations are established between both countries. Soon after, the economic and cultural cooperation between them begins. With the signing of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova in 2014, cooperation between the two countries is expanding. This report’s main object is to present the current state of cooperation between both countries and give guidelines for its expansion. Quantitative methods are used to collect secondary information (statistical data, normative and strategic documents from national and international institutions and organizations, scientific and media publications, reports and presentations, etc.). Qualitative, analytical, comparative, synthetic, inductive, deductive, etc. methods are used for data processing and analysis. The results of the study are presented in text and tables. After analyzing the results, conclusions are made about the current state of cooperation between Moldova and Bulgaria. Recommendations аre given on the possibilities for expanding and improving cooperation between the two countries.