Prof. Stela Dermendzhieva, PhD
stellamalcheva@abv.bg
stela.dermendzhieva@mail.bg

In the context of dramatic economic, political and social changes that are shaking the world, cultural tourism has an important role in communicating the core values of intercultural dialogue, protection and promotion of cultural diversity and preservation of cultural heritage, whose tangible and intangible assets constitute the important part of the cultural identity.

The main aim present the role and positions of cultural tourism, as one of modern tourism industry’s most dynamically developing branch, in today’s global tourism market both from the theoretical and the practical point of view. With the definition of cultural tourism, we try to point at the complex problems of the term as it is proved to be a controversial issue in tourism, since there is no adequate definition existing. In the absence of a uniformly accepted definition, cultural tourism can be characterised both from the perspective of supply and demand and also from the point of view of theoretical and practical approach.

We can state that cultural tourism is a very complex segment of the ‘tourism industry,’ its supply is diverse and versatile. The future positions of the discipline will probably be strengthened both directly and indirectly as with the change of the recreational needs the aim to get acquainted with the cultural values is strongly increasing.

Key Themes:

• Defining the term ‘culture’
• Defining the term ‘cultural tourism’- Conceptual Definition, Technical Definition
• Resource based
• The typology of the cultural tourist
• Types of cultural tourism - Heritage tourism, Cultural thematic routes,Cultural city tourism, cultural tours, Traditions, ethnic tourism, Event and festival tourism, Religious tourism, pilgrimage routes, Creative culture, creative tourism
• The role of cultural tourism in the global tourism market
• Reasons for the Growth of Cultural Tourism

In the analysis of a tourism product we have to be aware not only the positive effects but the negative aspects of tourism development as well. The ever growing and rapidly increasing cultural tourism in the recent years has raised the question whether it really serves the needs of sustainable tourism especially in small communities. Cultural tourism started as a form of alternative tourism and nowadays it can be considered – in certain tourism destinations – as a dominant part of mass tourism.