"Scientific research" Almanac

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  MODERN DIMENSIONS OF THE MANAGEMENT OF TOURIST DESTINATION BULGARIA

  The development of tourism is related to the need to manage tourist destinations. Tourist business faces issues related to establishing tourists' preferences and identifying their motives. The solutions are related to the consumer behaviour and preferences of the tourists, the resources of the region, the attractiveness of the area, the offered ... The development of tourism is related to the need to manage tourist destinations. Tourist business faces issues related to establishing tourists' preferences and identifying their motives. The solutions are related to the consumer behaviour and preferences of the tourists, the resources of the region, the attractiveness of the area, the offered complex product and the organisational precision. The objective of the research is to study empirically the state of tourist destination Bulgaria. Then, based on the results of this research, the authors focus on outlining the existing problems and the complex of strategic management decisions related to the possible prospects for sustainable development of Bulgaria and its establishment as a year-round tourist destination with many natural and anthropogenic features suitable for the development of different types of tourism. The tasks assigned by the authors include: highlighting the features of the tourist destination and its management; revealing the impact of tourism policy on the development of the tourist destination; assessing the state of tourist destination Bulgaria through the prism of tourists and experts from district/municipal administrations and local tourism organisations; formulating proposals to solve the problems concerning the destination through adequate management. A survey questionnaire was administered to collect data from the tourists in the administrative districts of Dobrich, Bourgas, V. Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Plovdiv and Pazardzhik. Representatives of the regional and municipal administrations and associations working on the problems of tourism on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria were also interviewed.

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  BENEFITS FOR TOURISM ENTERPRISES FROM THEIR ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION

  Globalization and free movement of goods and services put new opportunities for Bulgarian businesses to achieve a competitive advantage based on quality. The study of this problem in the economic practice is especially relevant, considering the predominance of the service sector in the national economy and the complexity of maintaining a ... Globalization and free movement of goods and services put new opportunities for Bulgarian businesses to achieve a competitive advantage based on quality. The study of this problem in the economic practice is especially relevant, considering the predominance of the service sector in the national economy and the complexity of maintaining a consistent quality of services. The main objective of the present study is to highlight the key benefits of the business standard and the relative advantages it can bring to tourism businesses, based on a retrospective and situational analysis of ISO 9001 certification. In order to achieve this goal, the following research tasks are solved: study of the distribution of ISO 9001 standard by economic sectors; analysis of the benefits from introduction of the standard for Bulgarian enterprises; presentation of the main tools for ensuring the quality of tourist services; exploiting the potential benefits of ISO 9001 certification for tourism business. The results of the study show that ISO 9001 is the most common among ISO certification standards; it is a clearly recognizable sign of quality among businesses; it is adapted for every business; brings real benefits to organizations; can be applied in the tourism business. The results obtained from the study prove the author's thesis that certification under the most common international standard provides a number of business benefits that can also be used in the tourism business.

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  OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASING THE QUALITY OF DATA FROM ONLINE SURVEYS

  The emergence and evolution of Internet and related applications have changed many areas of public life. The methods of gathering marketing information have also changed. Less and less often surveys are printed on paper and are conducted in a web environment. The reasons are simple – online surveys are conducted faster and cheaper, they are easy ... The emergence and evolution of Internet and related applications have changed many areas of public life. The methods of gathering marketing information have also changed. Less and less often surveys are printed on paper and are conducted in a web environment. The reasons are simple – online surveys are conducted faster and cheaper, they are easy to spread, they offer useful functionalities. A major challenge for marketing researchers is to ensure that online surveys are representative. The main purpose of this study is to examine whether the structure of a sample, drawn from an online survey, corresponds to the structure of the studied aggregation. Another objective of the study is to examine how respondents react to incentives offered for participation in an online survey. This study presents the results of three online surveys. Each survey examines specific aggregation: Facebook page fans; visitors to a web site; population of Bulgaria aged 13-54. Two surveys were conducted through Facebook advertising. One survey was conducted among the visitors of a web site. To compare the sample and general aggregation, we have used χ2 criterion for one sample and Kiril Gatev’s integral coefficient. In the case of studying Facebook page fans, the sample matches the set of variables "sex" and "residence". In order to validate the three samples, the following information sources were used: The National Statistical Institute; Facebook page Insights; Google Analytics reports. In both surveys made via Facebook advertising, a very low cost was obtained for a response. In the survey of site visitors, the cost of a response is practically zero. To test how incentives affect respondents' activity, two types of prizes are offered – USB Flash memory stick (3 pcs.) and External hard disk drive (2 pcs.). In this study, we have found that the incentives offered do not increase respondents’ responsiveness to a degree justifying the costs of purchasing and delivering the prizes.