Tourism in Bulgaria - Essay Example

?Running head: Tourism in Bulgaria Tourism in Bulgaria Insert Insert Grade Insert November 30, Part A: Do male international tourists in Bulgaria participate/engage in more different activities than their female counter parts? Fieldwork question and geographic context Tourism in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has experienced growth since the late in the recent years as compared to Northern Europe (IPK International, 4). However, the rate of this growth has been slowing down (Roberts & Simpson, 317). Various communist heritage structures like monuments of the leaders were erected in the countries in the communist era. However, most of the structures have been destroyed in several of these countries and neither are they recognized as tourist attraction features by the tourism agencies in the countries, as is the case in Bulgaria (Ivanov, 184). International tourism has played a significant role in economic development in Bulgaria in terms of the GDP as was seen in 2003 (Bulgaria, 58). The tourist attraction features as well as the facilities that are available in the country can have influence on the types of activities in which the tourists engage. Such variations can occur among individuals of the same age group but different gender. Thus, the focus of this paper is to examine if there is significant difference in the number of activities that male tourists and female tourists engage in. In particular, the study seeks to answer the question “Do male international tourists in Bulgaria participate/engage in more different activities than their female counterparts?” Bulgaria is located on the southeastern region of Europe bordering countries like Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, and Black Sea to the east. The study was conducted in three different locations- Sofia, Burgas, and Sunny Beach. Sofia is the country’s capital city and is situated in the western part of the country. Burgas is a town on the eastern coast of the country whereas Sunny Beach is a beach resort also situated on the coastal region of the country. It was expected that the investigation would justify the Map of Bulgaria showing the different geographical locations Figure 1 http://www.sunny-beach.com/bulgaria.php Hypothesis of the study The male international tourists in Bulgaria participate/engage in more different activities than their female counterparts do. The method of investigation The class had been divided into groups of 3-4 students with diverse languages. The groups came to an agreement that the research be conducted with respect to the international tourism in Bulgaria. As such, three different locations in the country were selected that are likely to be tourist attraction centers. These include Sofia (as the countries capital city), Burgas (one of the large coastal towns), and Sunny Beach (a beach resort at the coast that is likely to attract international tourists). The selection of the geographical locations applied the principles of judgmental sampling, as it was considered that these regions would have the highest number of international tourists. The group designed a questionnaire that was translated into different languages that are applicable in Bulgaria (English, Bulgarian, French, Russian, and German) in order to capture a wide category of the tourists. The use of questionnaire in a face-to-face interview was preferred in order to avoid/minimize cases of non-response and inaccurate data. This is because it would enable a clarification to be made in the event that something was not clear. The questionnaire sought responses like the place of origin of the individual, the reason for visit, demographic information (gender, age, nationality), the size of the visiting group (an individual, a couple, family, or larger group), the previous visits to the country, the opinions on tourism’s effect on developments in Bulgaria, and the activities of the tourists while in the country. The response to the last question in the questionnaire is of particular importance in addressing the problem as it can give a comparison of different activities performed by different sexes. The study was carried out in three days with one day at each location. Data was first collected at Sofia on 2.6.2011 (Thursday), then at Burgas on 3.6.2011 (Friday). The larger set of data was collected on 5.6.2011 (Sunday) at Sunny Beach due to the high number of tourists at the resort on Sundays. Each of the groups had a map describing the settlement patterns to enable them position themselves strategically. Passersby were randomly approached by an interviewing group and questions administered to them. Quality and treatment of information collected The data collection process was quite efficient and we were able to collect a large set of data. The number of all the individuals that were interviewed was 360 and a substantial fraction of this data was collected on Sunday at Sunny Beach. In particular, 112 individuals were interviewed at Sofia settlement, 117 at Burgas, and 131 at Sunny Beach. From Sofia, it was noted that the local males were 28, local females were 38, and international males were 26 whereas international females were 20. At Burgas, the local males were 26, the females were 69, the international males were 11, and the international females were 11. At Sunny Beach, there were more internationals than locals interviewed. Male locals were 20, female locals were 29, male internationals were 39, and the female internationals were 43. The collected data was later processed and organized in tables and summary sheets by individual students as per the labels on the questionnaire. It has to be noted that data was collected from locals and international tourists as well. However, for this particular assessment, only data pertaining to international tourists to the region were applicable. Thus, the initial step was to separate the set of data based on nationality. The responses on the interviewees’ activities during the leisure were initially provided on a scale of 0 to 3 with (0- Never; 1- once/rarely; 2- more than once/every other; and 3- most of the time/often). The responses for international tourists were first grouped according to the sexes and then according to the age group within the gender category. The age groups were 10-18, 19-25, 26-40, 41-55, 56-64, and 65+. For each category (age-group) for both the females and males, an average score was calculated with respect to a particular activity with scores taking values in the 0-3 range. This was performed for all the activities included in the questionnaire and for the data collected from all the three different locations. The response in relation to participation in other activities (coded as 12) was not available from all the sets of data that were collected. A summary for the total scores of each of the three locations were calculated as well as a combined total for all male and all the female international tourists. A summary of the combined totals for males and females were arranged in a tabular form as below: Table.1 Combined totals for international tourists Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total male score 1.757 1.98 1.29 1.62 1.83 1.36 1.65 1.88 .58 .59 .73 Total female score 1.54 1.97 1.14 1.94 1.84 1.46 1.71 1.04 .79 .56 .94 It was not possible to obtain combined totals for activity 12 due to missing data from some of the location (Sunny Beach). In order to give a better visual impression (a comparison between the males’ scores and the females’ score), a compound bar chart has been used. The bar chart provides the activities on the horizontal axis and a measure of the total score for both males and females on the vertical axis. Bar charts were developed from the totals that were recorded at each of the three locations to provide a comparison between males’ engagement in different activities and the females’ engagement in the activities. These are shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4. There is also a graph indicating the combined totals for the males and females, Figure 5. Figure.2 Total scores recorded at Sofia Figure.3 Total scores recorded at Burgas Figure.4 Total scores recorded at Sunny Beach Figure.5 Grand total scores It was also interesting to examine if there is any relationship between the males’ score and the females’ total scores with regard to these activities. In order to examine this, a scatter diagram was used with the males’ scores on the horizontal axis and the females’ scores on the vertical axis. The measure of correlation was also examined by calculation of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, r, developed by Karl Pearson. The correlation coefficient provides the strength of the linear relationship (if it exists) as well as the direction of this relationship. Figure.6 Scatter Diagram for male and female scores. The calculated correlation coefficient, r, for the sets of male scores and total female scores is 0.951. This implies that the coefficient of determination is 0.904, a measure of the proportion of changes in one variable that can be attributed to the changes in the other variable. Written Analysis and Discussion The main problem was to examine if the male international tourists to Bulgaria participate in more activities than their female counterparts do. The ‘total’ scores for each activity are obtained as an average and indicate the measure the groups’ engagement in the activity. The collected data does not fully justify our initial hypothesis. In the data collected at Sofia (Figure 2), the total scores for females are higher than the scores for male tourists for literally all the activities they engage in during the tour. The data collected at Burgas (Figure 3) as a mixed pattern for the different activities. The male international tourists have higher scores than females in the in activities 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 11 whereas the females have higher scores in activities 4, 6, 8, and 9. Similarly, the data at Sunny Beach showed that females had higher scores in activities 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 11 whereas the men scored higher in activities 3, 6, 9, and 10. The males and females had similar scores for activity 8. The combined scores provided in Figure.5 are not different either. The male international tourists have higher scores in activities 1 and 3while the females have higher scores in the other activities. It can also be observed that except for the scores on activity 1 that recorded at Sofia where the males’ score had a large margin over females’ scores, all the other pairs of scores have smaller ranges. This prompted the need to examine the measure of correlation within these variables. A parametric rather than non-parametric approach can give a quick visual impression on the relationship that may be witnessed and hence the use of Pearson coefficient of correlation. A value of r= 0.951 indicates a strong positive correlation between these two variables. The large coefficient of determination (0.904) indicates the proportion of changes in one variable that can be explained by the changes in the other variable. This is also justified by the scatter diagram for males’ versus females’ scores. The scatter diagram indicates a relatively positive correlation. This implies that if males are highly involved in a given activity, then the females are also likely to be involved highly in the activity and vice versa. The observed results may be explained by the fact that tourism is cheap in the country. Service prices are a key factor in determining tourist destinations (Najdic, 18). The country generally has a hassle-free, cheap, and reliable public transport system (Watkins and Deliso, 16). The hospitality industry is strategically differentiated in order to match the financial abilities of many visitors to the country. Moreover, the relatively similar patterns in the engagement of male and female tourists in different activities may be explained by the tourist facilities in Bulgaria and their accessibility by both sexes. The country has upgraded its winter sports infrastructures that greatly appeal to many people (Bulgaria, 57). Sofia, the country’s capital, has facilities that suit both male and female tourists. The National Art Gallery, the National Museum of Natural History, the Sofia City Garden, The Sofia Municipal Gallery of Art, Peyo Yavorov House-Museum, and Ivan Vasov House-Museum are some of the facilities in the city (Watkins and Deliso, 90-92). These different sites can be accessed by both all the individuals as it has been noted that several of the attraction features in and around Sofia city can be accessed on foot (Watkins and Deliso, 94). The other sites (Sunny Beach and Burgas) have similar attractive features and activities like watersports. Again, these activities involve both male and females. It has been observed that the shifting climatic conditions have negligible negative impacts on winter tourism in Bulgaria (Alexandrov, 116). The Sunny Beach, in particular, is among the finest attraction sites in Bulgaria with all the activities that an individual can imagine (Watkins and Deliso, 235). The beach is easily accessible by buses operating on the Varna-Burgas road along the coastline. Conclusion The data obtained indicate that the international male tourists and their female counterparts engage/participate in almost similar activities at comparable degrees. In fact, the females appear to be engaged in more different activities than the male tourists are. There is not a single activity included in the study that had male participants and no female participants. The different in the scores that measure the individuals’ engagement in these activities also had close ranges for nearly all the activities. Besides, there is a positive relationship between the degree by which the males engage in a given activity during the vacation and the females’ engagement in those particular activities. This means that if male participants have engaged highly in a given tourist activity, then chances are high that females are also highly engaged in the activity. Thus, our hypothesis that the male international tourists in Bulgaria engage in more different activities than the females is not supported. The cheap cost of transport, different categories of accommodation facilities, and proper accessibility of most of tourist attraction sites in the country encourages more tourists (men and women) into the country. The social centers have a range of activities that loosely fit both males and females. Evaluation The study was facilitated by the strategic choice of the geographical location in which it was conducted. Even though it was based on judgmental principles, it was likely to provide more relevant information since this project had nothing to do with data on the Bulgarians. The three areas that were identified for the studies happen to be among the sites that have high tourist attraction in the country. Sofia is the capital of country and is thus one of the major entry points of the international tourist into the country. The city is also endowed with other tourist attraction features as well as social and cultural centers that are feet for different categories of individuals. Burgas is one of the large cities along the coastline and provides an entry point for the international tourists. It also has plenty of activities and recreational facilities. Sunny Beach was the major target site as the beach resort provides a good recreational site during such holidays. The beach resort is easily accessible, being located along Varna-Burgas highway. It also has a variety of activities, an asset for the project that sought more for involvement in different activities. Besides, the random approach to passersby was the most appropriate method as the population was largely and could not be defined explicitly. Nonetheless, the data collection process had some challenge. In as much as we tried to diversify the groups to have different languages, there were still language barriers in certain cases. We encountered individuals who could not speak Bulgarian and some of the groups lacked a Bulgarian student. Some groups came across Chinese nationals who were only fluent in their language with scanty “English” and yet there was no Chinese in the group. Future studies should involve a replication of data sheets and questionnaires into more languages. Works Cited Alexandrov, Vesselin. Global Environmental Change: Challenges to Science and Society in Southeastern Europe: Selected Papers Presented in the International Conference Held 19-21 May 2008 in Sofia Bulgaria. London: Springer. 2010. Bulgaria, Travel & Tourism Forecast World, p57-60. Dec2005. Ebscohost IPK International. The latest global travel trends 2002-2003. PRESS RELEASE. World Travel Market, ExCel Centre, London Tuesday, Nov 2002. Available from http://www.etc-corporate.org/resources/uploads/ENG.PDF Ivanov, Stanislav. Opportunities for developing communist heritage tourism in Bulgaria TOURISM REVIEW 57 (2); 177-192. 2009. Najdic, Marija. Using Multiple Senses in Service Experience Creating Consumer Loyalty in Tourism. International Journal of Management Cases, 13(3); 18-22 . 2011. Available from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=108&sid=010b4527-1b8b-4e09-bc01-05ca68b18b9a%40sessionmgr112 Roberts, Lesley and Simpson, Fiona. Developing Partnership Approaches to Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe. JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM , 7(3,4); 314-330. 1999. Available from http://togarsim.tripod.com/collaboration/roberts.pdf Watkins, Richard and Deliso, Christopher. Bulgaria. Third ed. Lonely Planet, 2008. Part B: Do male Bulgarian citizens travel further and more frequently abroad then female citizens?” Introduction Tourism is an important economic activity in the contemporary society with various social, cultural, and environmental impacts on the visited regions. It is among the developing sectors of economic activities in the contemporary world (Stankova, 760). The countries in Europe have different characteristics that can be advantageous in respect to tourism. Most of the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe experienced communist rule up to the late 1980s and early 1990s when they transitioned into the Western models (Hughes and Allen, 173). Bulgaria is one of the countries in Southeast Europe. In 2010, Bulgaria was ranked position 27 in Europe and position 48 in the world in terms of Tourism Competitiveness Index (TCI) (Croitoru 167). The country recognizes its beaches, countryside, nature parks, mountain resorts, and wines as some of the tourist attractions (Ivanov, 184). It also has cheap transport systems that are favorable for tourism (Watkins and Deliso, 16). Bulgaria is rapidly opening into the international scene since the fall of communist era in 1989 and with the emergence of socialist rule that promote a socially active tourism in the country (Scarboro, Univ. Illinois, 179). The Bulgarians have increasingly shown interest in the other attractive features that are not within their borders was well as experience for other cultures. International departures from Bulgaria have shown an increasing trend (rising by 16.8% in 2002) and about 25% could be attributed to tourism by 2002 (Bulgaria: Market Profile, 62). Tourism to a given region can be determined by the endowment of the region and the financial abilities of the different individuals as well as their tastes and preferences. Thus, the males may have the ability to make frequent visits to several destinations across the globe as compared to the females. The main question to be addressed in the research is “Do male Bulgarian citizens travel further and more frequently abroad then female citizens?” The investigation is expected to reveal that males travel more frequently and to further regions than the females. As hypotheses to the study, it is initially assumed that the male Bulgarian citizens travel further abroad than the female citizens do and that they make frequent visits abroad than the female citizens. Method(s) of investigation The study was conducted in Bulgaria, a country in southeast Europe that borders other European countries like Romania, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia as well as Turkey from West Asia as shown in Figure.1. Figure.1. Map of Bulgaria Source: http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/bulgaria.html The information that was appropriate in answering these particular questions was to be sought from the Native Bulgarians. Research was carried out at three distinct locations Sofia, Burgas, and Sunny Beach along the coastal Burgas-Varna road. The information on non-nationals of Bulgaria would not be appropriate and hence these were ignored whenever they were encountered. The information to be sought was whether the Bulgarians (being interviewed) had left the country at least at a certain point for a holiday trip. In the event that the individuals had been out of the country for holiday purposes, he or she would specify the country of destination and the frequency of such visits. Together with the sexes, these would suffice to determine whether males traveled to further regions and more frequently than females or not. Besides, only data collected from Sofia was used in determining the validity of the initial assumption. This is because as the capital city, it is likely that more city dwellers who are natives will be approached and interviewed. The groups developed a questionnaire that was be used for the interview. The participants had to provide details of their nationality and other demographic information like sex age group. The data collection materials were issued in English and Bulgarian, as these were the mostly likely languages to be encountered among the natives. The members of the groups had to record the information personally on the questionnaires. The responses fir ever leaving the country for vacation were “Never before”, “Once”, “Twice”, “Thrice” “Four times”, and “Five times or more.” Several individuals were intercepted for the interview in the city streets in an exercise that was conducted on a single day. Different groups were strategically located at different positions in the city. The interview process was swift since most of the individuals encountered were natives who were conversant with the different languages used in designing the questionnaires and the worksheets. Data was collected from 66 Bulgarians from Sofia settlement. Managing collected information It has to be recalled that the research on this aspect was conducted alongside other investigations not appropriate for this problem being addressed. Out of the 66 Bulgarian included in the interview, it was observed that 28 were males whereas 38 were females. The individuals indicated if they had at least been to certain countries in the world. The question asked for at most five countries that the individuals had visited. Thus, some individuals were found that had been to more than one country abroad for vacation. To illustrate on the data obtained, the first most appropriate data presentation is a tabular form indicating the destinations of the Bulgarian and the number (frequencies) of individuals who visited the regions. All the countries that were indicated by the interviewees were listed and the number of Bulgarian visitors to the countries evaluated for both males and females. This is shown in the following table. Table1: Bulgarian International Tourist Destinations A global map showing how far the regions are apart is also appropriate. This is provided in the map below. Figure.2 Map of the World Indicating Continents Source: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm The data as depicted on the table can provide an insight into the patterns of the destinations of Bulgarians males and females to different parts of the world. To give more insight into the possible differences, the above data was further grouped according to regions. The regions considered were North America, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Australia, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Southeast Asia, Other parts of Europe, North Asia, Western Asia (Middle East). This is shown in the following table (Table.2). Table.2 Tourist destinations grouped into regions Region of destination No of males No of females North America 3 5 Northern Africa, 1 1 Southern Africa 2 0 Australia 1 1 Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) 30 43 Southeast Asia 4 0 Other parts of Europe 29 41 North Asia 0 3 West Asia 13 12 A graphic representation that gives the destination of both male and female Bulgarians tourists is also provided in the following Figure.3 Figure.3 Tourist destinations from Bulgaria Written analysis No unexceptional observations or anomalies were encountered as far as these data are concerned. From the tables (Table.1 and Table.2), it is evident that most of the travel tours for both males and females are to the European countries, indicated by their high frequencies. The European countries are Belgium, France, Greece, Serbia, Germany, Romania, Austria, Sweden, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, UK, Denmark, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Macedonia, some of which are immediate neighbors of Bulgaria. The numbers of visits are high for both males and females to countries like France, Greece, Germany, and Turkey. The only African countries listed are Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa. Here, one female has been to Egypt, 1 male to Morocco, and 2 males to South Africa. The Asian countries are Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam (eastern), Indonesia, Japan, and UAE. Only Turkey and UAE are countries in the Western Asia. Russia and Japan are in North Asia while Australia is a different landmass to the far southeast of Asia. Both males and females have been to West Asia in relatively larger proportions. It is also interesting to not that no female had been to Southeast Asia whereas no male had been to North Asia. The United States, Mexico, and Canada are countries in North America. Four females and one male have been to USA, 2 males to Canada, and 1 female to Mexico. From the observed frequencies, it may not be justified that males travel more quite often than the females. In fact, with respect to visits to the European nations (far or near), the number of female visits outnumbers the male visits in almost all cases. The world map (Figure 1) helps understand the distance of covered by the tourists to different nations. Located on the southeastern Europe, Bulgaria borders countries in this part of Europe and western Asia (e.g. Turkey). Among the countries listed that are far from Bulgaria are Australia, South Africa, and Mexico, and the United States (Canada may be shorter through the polar region). The other far countries are Japan and Russia that stretches to the northern pole. Again focusing on the data, it is evident that females and males have similar visits to countries in the European regions and neighboring Asian nations. For the countries that are further away, males have been to South Africa, Canada, the USA, and Australia whereas the female tourists have been to Australia, Mexico, Japan, USA, and Russia. Conclusion Bulgaria has been a destination for international tourists from different countries over the recent past. The cheap means of transport and the availability of other hospitality services like accommodation have significant impacts on tourism in a given country and this has been practical in the country. The country is also endowed with variety of attraction features and tourist activities that are appropriate for a wide category of individuals. Nonetheless, it is evident that Bulgaria is a source of international tourists to different countries within Europe and across the continents. The country recovered from the poor governance that had been experienced for a long period. Bulgaria has been struggling to restructure and significant economic growth witnessed in the country has improved the ability of the citizens to tour other regions as well. The Bulgarians have shown interest in the neighboring countries Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa as well as the countries in other far regions like Southern Africa, Australia, eastern Asia, and the North America. Now contrary to the hypotheses of the study, it has been observed that both Bulgarian males and females have relatively similar travel patterns to different destinations for vacation. A large number of both male and female tourists travel to near countries for the holidays. It can also be justified that the females go out for the visits at a rate higher than or similar to that of men. This can be deduced from the number of visits recorded for each category. It is however, not possible to deduce on the frequency of the visits by a given individual as such data was not documented properly. Our hypotheses are thus disproved. Evaluation The choice to use data collected at Sofia settlement for this problem is appropriate since the region is likely to have higher concentrations of the locals. This was evident in facilitating the interview process. However, the procedure that was applied for this investigation was not very appropriate and the reliability of the data may be doubted. The questionnaire was not design exhaustively to warrant proper categorization of the collected data and subsequent analysis. The individuals were asked to indicate up to five countries they had visited. Besides, it was also necessary that the frequencies of such visits be recorded. This was to be indicated by the factors like the number of paid holidays. An individual could have visited a country more than once within a given period. Another individual can have been to more than five countries that was the limit, and yet another category could have been to no country. It is very likely that the individuals in this last category could provide false information to portray a positive image of theirs and their country. This can be minimized through a longer questionnaire that provides a consistency check. The first responses should not contradict last responses. The section should have been left it open for an individual to indicate the countries they had been to and the number of times for each country and such data be defined separately. The procedure to categorize all these was not very clear. The possibility of individuals having multiple destinations has implication on the analysis tools to be applied. Similarly, the geographical locations of different countries may not directly relate with the distance covered to a given destination. Given the airline routes, traveling to the USA from Bulgaria region may be shorter or quicker than to some part of Africa because of no connection. Lastly, more people need to have been interviewed. It will not be appropriate to make a conclusion based on this small sample of population. Works Cited Bulgaria: Market Profile. Travel & Tourism Forecast World, p.61-64. June 2005. Available from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&hid=108&sid=010b4527-1b8b-4e09-bc01-05ca68b18b9a%40sessionmgr112 Croitoru, Mihai. Tourism Competitiveness Index- An Empirical Analysis Romania vs. Bulgaria. Theoretical and Applied Economics,18(9-562); 155-177, 2011. Available from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=108&sid=010b4527-1b8b-4e09-bc01-05ca68b18b9a%40sessionmgr112 Hughes, Howard and Allen, Danielle. Cultural tourism in Central and Eastern Europe: the views of ‘induced image formation agents, Tourism Management 26; 173–18. 2005 Ivanov, Stanislav. Opportunities for developing communist heritage tourism in Bulgaria TOURISM REVIEW 57 (2); 177-192. 2009. Scarboro, Cristopher and Univresity of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Living socialism: The Bulgarian socialist humanist experiment. Eisenhower Parkway: ProQuest, 2007 Stankova, Mariya. Bulgarian Tourism and the Niches of Customization. ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT: 15; 760-763. 2010. Available from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=25&sid=010b4527-1b8b-4e09-bc01-05ca68b18b9a%40sessionmgr112 Watkins, Richard and Deliso, Christopher. Bulgaria. Third ed. Lonely Planet, 2008. Read More