Annual Tourism Awards established

The Ministry of Tourism is establishing Annual Tourism Awards. The competition’s objective is to promote development of Bulgarian tourism via promotion of tourism sites and destinations, enhancement of the tourism service’s competitiveness and quality. The competition will also encourage implementation of innovative practices in the industry for the purpose of achieving higher efficiency in the tourism services supplied. The idea is for the competition to provide an opportunity for players in the industry to take active part each year and thus receive a deserved appreciation of their efforts in presenting and improving the Bulgarian tourism product. The plans are to evaluate winners in the Annual Tourism Awards under several basic criteria. A special methodology is being elaborated, the main objective being to put forth clear evaluation criteria with an appropriate set of quantified and qualified criteria and indicators to select the best ones in each category.

„As soon as the Ministry of Tourism was set up, it was very important for us to give deserved recognition to all players in the tourism industry, to all tourism-related organizations, which put efforts into the development of successful tourism in Bulgaria. I believe the Annual Tourism Awards are precisely the form that will acknowledge the best ones, will create the required competition in the sector, and that we will thus manage to provide to the Bulgarian and international tourists an even better, higher-grade tourism product. It is our ambition to turn these awards into a tradition ”, Minister Angelkova said.

The Annual Tourism Awards will feature a special category, which will reward the best tourist attraction. All types of tourist attractions will be eligible to apply for reward. Applications will be evaluated by factoring in revenues from the underlying tourism service, the number of visitors during the active season, promotion for the attraction, physical accessibility thereto, etc. The best tourism event will also be rewarded, this category being for the organizers of tourism events held with a given period of time – such as carnivals, festivals, celebrations, holidays, including business- and science events under other tourism-related forums. Here again, applications will be evaluated under certain indicators, among which number of visitors, sales revenues, the marketing & advertising approach selected, etc. A reward is also being established for tourism organizations producing or preparing high-grade products or offering experiences, which preserve customs and/or folklore. The prerequisite is to use local traditions and resources, thus contributing to the respective region’s long-term sustainable development.

Tour operators, tour agents, guides, transport companies, tourism complexes will be eligible to apply for reward in the Specialized Tourism category. The types of tourism covered will be: cultural-historical; balneal, spa & wellness; eco and rural tourism; enotourism and gourmet tourism; congress- and event tourism; golf, adventure, etc. Economic indicators, quality of service, use of marketing & advertising to promote the particular tourism type, etc. will be graded. Various representatives from the tourism industry will also be eligible to apply for reward under the Innovation category, which will focus on innovative approaches, services, products, technology solutions and concepts. Grading will be based on concept, innovation effect, etc.

The best tourism destination will also receive an annual tourism award. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated vis-à-vis availability of an elaborated and implemented sustainable development strategy, how the destination is managed, access to facilities for people with disabilities and special needs, as well as based on economic criteria. The special award will be “Bulgarians’ Choice”, with voters being able to pick online their favourite location from the existing tourism sites in Bulgaria.

An award will also be established for the best tourism blog and tourism-related website. The criteria will address vision, purpose, content, number of visitors, average number of publications per month, etc. All amateur bloggers will be eligible to file applications. Technical evaluation criteria will be taken into consideration when selecting the best website - number of unique visitors, number of comments on and shares of publications, etc. The best journalistic text on the subject matter of tourism will also be rewarded. This category is intended for journalist publications in print and/or electronic media on the subject matter of tourism and/or tourism development in Bulgaria. Articles will be graded on creative approach, knowledge of and analysis on the subject matter, etc.

Representatives of local government will also be nominated in the Annual Tourism Awards in the following category: municipality best/most successfully absorbing EU funds intended for the development of tourism and tourism sites; municipality best/most successfully investing funds in the development of tourism and tourism sites;  municipality with the biggest contribution to the development of alpine, marine, cultural-historical, spa, specialized, pilgrimage tourism, etc.; municipality with the biggest number of events and initiatives in tourism, including participation in international events; municipality with the biggest tourism tax collection rates.

The plans are for all categories, along with a dedicated module for enrolment applications, to be published on the website of the Ministry of Tourism. There are also plans to establish a Public Board to the Annual Tourism Awards, which will feature prominent experts from the media, the tourism businesses, the academia, etc.