Who Holidays at Home? Segmenting Bulgarian Domestic Tourists Through Cluster Analysis

The present study employs cluster analysis to segment Bulgarian domestic tourists based on microdata from a nationally representative survey (n = 1003) of summer holidaymakers on the Black Sea coast destinations. The primary objective is to identify homogeneous groups of tourists with similar demographic and behavioural characteristics, thereby enabling the development of more targeted tourism policies and marketing strategies. The methodological framework includes both hierarchical and non-hierarchical (k-means) clustering, applied to standardized variables such as age, household size, satisfaction with various aspects of the tourist experience, and behavioural intentions. The analysis reveals four distinct tourist profiles, each characterized by specific patterns of evaluation and travel behaviour—retirement age loyalists, middle-aged sceptics, younger moderate enthusiasts and young high loyalists. The findings reveal the heterogeneity of the domestic tourism market in Bulgaria and provide a data-driven foundation for enhancing the effectiveness of tourism management and promotional efforts.