Development of Rural Areas through Sustainability in Production and Trade in Goods and Products
Development of Rural Areas through Sustainability in Production and Trade in Goods and Products

Author(s): Georgi Stanev
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Economy, Business Economy / Management, Agriculture, Governance, Public Administration, Sociology, Rural and urban sociology, Tourism
Published by: Университет за национално и световно стопанство (УНСС)
Keywords: management organization of the Rila-Pirin tourist area; tourist service; tourist product
Summary/Abstract: In this report, the author wants to raise issues that affect the provision of conditions for increasing the competitiveness of local producers and processors of agricultural products. In order to ensure rapid sales of production, local authorities, in the form of municipalities and regional governments, should take measures primarily in terms of easing the administrative burden, but also in order to shorten the chain producer/processor-end trader (hotel/restaurant/shop)-end customer (tourist). To achieve the goals of managing individual areas, it is necessary to create and maintain a stable connection and communication between state, respectively municipal organizations, private legal entities and individuals. The participation of more stakeholders in the process is in many cases difficult to coordinate and manage, but it is a guarantee that the discussed problems will reach a wider circle of users, more key issues will be raised and the probability of reaching a solution is many times greater. The role of the state, not only in taking action in connection with the relevant legislative changes in the field, but also as a controller, is key to supporting local producers/processors. It is through its role as a body controlling the processes and at the same time – a mediator in relation to disputes and misunderstandings that the state can and should contribute to the sustainable development of the sector. The Tourism Act allows tourist areas to be managed by organizations that are voluntary and are subject to the principle of cooperation in the interest of the members. The texts set out in the law largely give relatively broad autonomy to the organizations for managing tourist areas. At the same time, however, the state – in the person of the Ministry of Tourism, limits this autonomy by taking away some of the main functions – development and implementation of a marketing strategy for the tourist area, development and implementation of a tourism development strategy, product strategies and annual plans for tourism development on the territory of the tourist area, etc. The essential role that the organizations for managing tourist areas should have in the process of imposing quality standards for the produced products, in the mediation between the state/municipalities and private organizations – mainly producers of goods and offering services in the field of tourism, is being undermined. The lack of a clear concept regarding the financing of the organizations for managing tourist areas, including the determination of annual contributions by the state for the maintenance and operation of these organizations, calls into question their existence, and hence the future of the mediation activity that they must perform in the development of tourism in the respective region.

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