"Scientific research" Almanac

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  DEPOPULATION IN CENTRAL NORTHERN BULGARIA AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE TOURISM

  The process of depopulation over the last decades in some regions of our coun¬try has become a particularly serious problem and, in addi¬tion, a challenge for the de¬velopment of Bulgarian society. In the present study, attention is focused on depopula¬tion in the mountainous and semi-mountainous parts of Central Northern Bulgaria and the ... The process of depopulation over the last decades in some regions of our coun¬try has become a particularly serious problem and, in addi¬tion, a challenge for the de¬velopment of Bulgarian society. In the present study, attention is focused on depopula¬tion in the mountainous and semi-mountainous parts of Central Northern Bulgaria and the alternative tour¬ism as a factor for its limitation. The main objective of this study is to examine the nature of depopulation as a social phenomenon with its neg¬ative effects on society and the economy. The goal is achieved by solving the following tasks: analy¬sis of the theoretical research in the field of depopulation; chronological and compara¬tive analysis of the current state of settlement network and the process of depopulation and demographic forecasting; identifying opportunities for limiting the depopulation pro¬cess through forms of alternative tourism. The main thesis is that depopu¬lation as a social phenomenon leads to depopulation of settlements and entire territories; special attention has to be drawn on the need for a spe¬cific and responsible regional policy. Issues such as: gender-age struc¬ture, negative natural growth, migratory attitudes, isola¬tion of small set¬tlements, poorly built transport infrastructure, good prerequisites for the development of alternative tourism, higher degree of development of the tourism sector in municipalities and settlements and insufficient number of development programmes for the surveyed area have been highlighted.

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  YOUTH, UNIVERSITIES AND BUSINESS – KEY PARTNERS IN ACHIEVING THE GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

  Sustainable development is a guarantee against the challenges of today’s world. The idea is not new, it is evolving, presented at the beginning of the 21st century by Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (UN 2015, 17 goals, 169 targets, 193 countries). The Agenda 2030 is the first agreement that provides for ... Sustainable development is a guarantee against the challenges of today’s world. The idea is not new, it is evolving, presented at the beginning of the 21st century by Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (UN 2015, 17 goals, 169 targets, 193 countries). The Agenda 2030 is the first agreement that provides for global action and affects all countries’ internal policies. World forums in 2016 stated that Global Sustainable Development Goals are not recognized by all stakeholders. The defined sustainable development goals and the related targets balance three dimensions – environmental, social and economic in areas such as poverty, inequality, food security, health, sustainable consumption and production, economic growth, employment, infrastructure, nature utilization, climate, as well as gender equality, peaceful and inclusive societies. Education plays a vital role in implementing the Global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 (Goal 4). Universities are becoming powerful centres that provide young people with knowledge, skills and competence to be responsible leaders in the future. Educational and scientific centers are becoming incubators of ‘knowledge’ that is necessary for the creation of innovations, which are to be implemented by businesses. In response to the social, economic, environmental and managerial challenges facing the society, the research team focused on the key partnerships in the ‘Youth – Universities – Businesses’ triad as an instrument for the implementation of the Global Sustainable Development Goals.

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  RESEARCH ON THE IMPORTANCE OF WINE TOURISM FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL WINE PRODUCTION AREAS IN BULGARIA (DANUBE AND THRACIAN)

  The goal of the study is to explore the role of wine tourism in the sustainable regional development of the North (Danube) and South (Thracian) wine-growing regions. The tasks are related to: studying the attitudes of the local business offering wine tourism to the policies and instruments for its development, its competitive potential and ... The goal of the study is to explore the role of wine tourism in the sustainable regional development of the North (Danube) and South (Thracian) wine-growing regions. The tasks are related to: studying the attitudes of the local business offering wine tourism to the policies and instruments for its development, its competitive potential and importance for sustainable regional development; analysis of the wine tourism product, according to the outlined regional specifics of the studied areas; defining specific recommendations and measures to promote the role of wine tourism as a highly competitive product attracting solvent customers with recognized social and cultural status and bringing high added value to the local community and regional development. The thesis is that Wine Tourism, as a rapidly growing branch of modern economy, can significantly contribute to sustainable regional development by helping to increase the recognition and validation of regional product brands, increase entrepreneurial, investment and tourist interests in a certain destination and promote its positive image on the international and domestic market. The results of the quantitative analysis of wine producers' attitudes towards the policy of development of wine tourism in Bulgaria have been summarized in the study. In order to solve the problems that have been identified, specific recommendations and measures have been developed to support the sustainable development of the wine-growing regions under study.