Issues in Co-operative Marketing of Tourist Destinations in Bulgaria – a Cluster Approach
Issues in Co-operative Marketing of Tourist Destinations in Bulgaria – a Cluster Approach

Summary/Abstract: The cluster approach suggests that marketing efforts and operations of individual firms need to be coordinated with their competitors in order to promote and subsequently provide the tourist with a quality tourism product. This paper examines the issues in co-operative marketing of tourist destinations in Bulgaria and draws comparison to international cases. The study is based on a survey with representatives from 16 Bulgarian municipalities. The results show that the overall level of cooperative marketing is rather low and is primarily driven by public sector organizations. Issues such as mistrust, lack of initiative and unwillingness to commit own finances are some of the current obstacles to competitive destination marketing in Bulgaria. The topic is highly relevant since the relationship between the firms, especially relating to marketing, is an increasingly important component of competitive advantage in the tourism destination context.

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