APPLICATION OF THE REPRESENTATIVE STATISTICAL SURVEYS FOR THE PURPOSES OF STUDYING THE ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE DOMESTIC TOURISM IN BULGARIA - ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE PLOVDIV DISTRICT

The main goal of the article is to determine the attitudes of the population of the second largest district in Bulgaria - Plovdiv towards the domestic is to determine the attitudes tourism in the country and the main factors that influence them. The analysis in this article is based on the microdata from a nationally representative survey, using two-staged clustered sample of respondents, stratified by Bulgarian districts and residence place type and the application of statistical methods such as frequency distributions and measures of central tendency (summary statistics). The results show that the residents of Plovdiv district prefer summer vacation tourism much more than winter one, although the practicing of it is relatively rare - 1-2 times a year. The main reasons that hinder more frequent travel in the country are primarily of a financial nature. Decisions on booking accommodation are predominantly based on advice from people already experienced in the field, especially relatives and friends. The availability of public transport in the Plovdiv district is not a strong incentive for use among residents, who prefer traveling domestically by private vehicle. The residents of the district show a much stronger preference for summer vacations at the Bulgarian seaside compared to leisure domestic tourism at mountain winter resorts. Despite the relatively high ratings given by the respondents, the main problems faced by the domestic tourists are: the unreasonably high prices, the poor service, the overbuilding, and the orientation of tourism services primarily towards the foreign market. The conclusion outlines the main measures that need to be taken to overcome negative attitudes, related to improving the quality of service in winter and summer resorts, improving transport infrastructure, strengthening the image of Bulgarian tourism through the main communication channels, etc.