Capacity of South Central Region of Bulgaria for health and medical tourism

Abstract

Tourism is a leading specialization for Bulgaria and the recreation industry impacts the overall regional development. The paper described the capacity of climatic, mineral water, medical and biological resources of the South Central Planing Region for the development of health and medical tourism. The South Central region has significant natural resources (climate, mineral waters, curative mud and natural minerals, herbs, essential oils), SPA traditions, well-structured and equipped spa, wellness and medical centers as well as well-prepared staff in order to develop successful health tourism. In analyzing the region's resource potential, a particular attention has been paid to the local features of the relief; climatic specifics; mineral waters; biological and landscape diversity as highly valued by the tourists benefits and perceptions. In anthropogenic resources, the focus is on the cultural heritage that is globally significant for our civilization. Synergy in tourism is dictated by the causality between resources, superstructure, infrastructure, marketing and market. The opportunities of the sites are presented and the tendencies for development, specialization and diversification of the specialized tourist products are presented.