DOMESTIC LEISURE TOURISM DESTINATION CHOICE AND WHO DO WE TRUST—THE CASE OF BULGARIA

Abstract

In a world defined by ever-increasing number of goods and services, destination managers and planners are faced with an increasingly difficult task to attract and retain visitors. Understanding the dynamics of the destination decision-making process is crucial for destination, tourism organizations, and businesses to meet the evolving needs and preferences of tourists. In the same vein, it is imperative to study the factors that influence consumer preferences and more specifically, the factors the factors that influence destination choices. The purpose of the research is to explore how all of those factors influence the destination choice decision-making process and identify the most influential ones for the domestic tourism market in Bulgaria. The study is based on a national representative survey which utilizes a two-staged random sample (n=1003) stratified by the Bulgarian districts and the residence place type. The results of the study indicate that friends despite the ever-expanding role of information technologies and Internet, friend and relatives are the most significant influencers over destination choices among the domestic tourists in Bulgaria.

Keywords

• domestic tourism
• electronic word of mouth destination choice
• destination choice
• consumer preferences
• Bulgaria