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The importance of bioeconomy for society and its development in the 21st century creates responsibility to monitor how national and regional economies in Europe respond to the cause called bioeconomy. The report aims to trace the change in the sectoral structure of the economy in the NUTS 2 regions in Bulgaria, paying particular attention to those who are primary consumers and producers of biological resources. For the objective and the tasks of the present study methodology for structural analysis based on aggregated nomenclature А10 from the Classification of Economic Activities (NACE.BG 2008) is applied, as well as other economic and statistical methods of analysis - growth rate and accretion, localization quotient and concentration. The indicators used are the number of employees per sector and share in the GVA of each region for four selected economic activities. The results of the study refer to the change in their localization benefits by regions for the period 2007-2016. The conclusions point to the need for a targeted support approach for identifying and developing sectoral and technological niches of bioeconomy that are promising for the respective region as well the need to develop regional statistical information for the bioeconomic sector.

The aim of the present study is to establish the extent to which natural resources are used and how traditional livelihood practices are exercised at a regional level. The object of this study is a region with developed mass tourism - Bansko Municipality. The subject addresses traditional livelihood practices and opportunities for expanding alternative forms of tourism. The revival of traditional livelihood models, which directly corresponds to current trends in bioeconomy, can make alternative forms of tourism an important part of the local development strategies in the forthcoming programming period after 2020, including regions established as mass tourism ones. The study has been conducted by applying the survey method in the municipality of Bansko in the period of February-March 2020 coinciding with the onset of the epidemic situation related to COVID-19 in Bulgaria. Taking into account the results from the survey, it is possible to draw conclusions about the extent to which certain conditions for the development of alternative forms of tourism have been created when facing new challenges.

Event tourism, as an alternative form of tourism, has established itself on the Bulgarian market, because it satisfies specific travel demands. Every year at the beginning of September in the city of Gourkovo, it is held a Bio-rally (donkey cart race), which traditionally attracts many guests and visitors from the country and abroad. The race with donkey carts is a special local event and it has long since become a trademark of the city. The purpose of this study is to trace and study the development of specialized kind of event tourism in the town of Gourkovo, following the example of the Bio-rally with donkey carts. Based on a recently conducted survey, an attempt was made to identify tourist's motivational factors for traveling, as well as their satisfaction with the event. The used scientific methods are analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction.Key words: bio-rally, alternative tourism, event tourism I. THEORETICAL BACKGROUNDThe term "event tourism" has become quite popular in contemporary literature as a relatively new type of tourism, which has aroused considerable interest. Here, the primary goal of the journey is to attend a specific event. Event tourism offers a unique festive atmosphere, great conditions for recreation, and unforgettable experiences. The main distinctive feature of event tourism is the multitude of exciting and unique moments. This is a fast-developing type of tourism with great potential (1).In the beginning of the XXI century, a number of leading authors have claimed that festivals and events comprising a one-time performance within an urban environment or a city performance can bring high economic gains by improving the reputation of the populated areas, their products and institutions. They attract tourist flows, capital and investments. For many cities, the key motivation for the development of strategy and organizing an event, which attracts tourists' interest, is to _______________________________ * Correspondence to : Blaga Stoykova, Department of Regional Development, Faculty of Economics, Trakia University, Stara Zagora 6000, Bulgaria, email: blaga_st@abv.bg recover from long-term economic stagnation. It can be said that festivals and events are a wider spectrum of new "cultural strategies" (2, 3).A number of researchers view these events as an important engine of tourism, as well as an efficient stimulant for improving the destination's public image (2, 4-9).Special local events attract a varied tourist flow. Studying the motives for their visit is a leading element of the studies. Such studies are very important, in order to find the precise market niche and, to a great extent, to take measures in order to satisfy the visitors' demands.During the last decades of the XX century several classic studies have been published in English-language literature, with regard to festival motivation related to festivals from various parts of the world, covering a wide spectrum -starting from the USA, passing through a number of European countries and reaching countrie...

The existence of peripheral regions is a significant challenge for regional development management. These regions have a specific economic and social profile, and their complex development is accompanied by the consideration of a number of factors that have a strong local significance and, in most cases, a dampening effect. The aim of the present study is to follow the trends in the development of a typical peripheral region in Bulgaria, focusing on identifying the potential of the regional economy for transformation to bioeconomic and circular orientation. The object of the study is the region Strandzha-Sakar, and the subject of the study is the potential for bio-economic and circular orientation based on specific traditional assessments, measuring both economic and demographic trends and local economic traditions.