The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes in all spheres of public life. Economically, as well as in terms of behavioural change, tourism has been one of the most affected sectors and nearly two years after the crisis began, the future is still unclear. This paper focuses on changes in tourist behaviour by tracking the shifts and persisting patterns within a one-year period. The study is based on two surveys conducted online in April 2020 and April 2021 and display the trends for a very specific and understudied context – a European country characterized by general distrust to the severity of the virus as well as towards imposed measures against the disease distribution at both national and international levels. Our findings question the wide-spread assumption that health-related concerns are the primary factor affecting tourist behaviour in the pandemic and identify travel restrictions and income as having major significance. Another important observation is the lack of significant changes within the study period, which examines two different situations: the onset of the pandemic that brought a great shock at all levels and a year later, when both objective circumstances and subjective perceptions were not expected to be the same.

Research background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought an unparalleled global lockdown and economic paralysis, with the travel and tourism sector being among the worst affected industries worldwide. This situation has set a lot of questions regarding the future of tourism and its re-shaping into a ‘new normality’, among which those referring to anticipated changes in tourist demand and behavior stand out. Such questions are empirical in nature and imply conducting of studies in various contexts in order to identify customers’ perceptions, attitudes, intentions, and real behavior patterns. Purpose of the article: The paper presents results of a recent study of the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on travel intentions of Bulgarian citizens and discusses them in relation to other similar studies conducted in different countries. Methods: The online survey covered 654 respondents and was completed in the period 9-16 April 2020, so the study results outline travel intentions at a relatively early stage of the COVID-19 crisis. Findings & Value added: There was a strong impact of the global pandemic on travel at the time of the research but the findings indicate less significant influence on the respondents’ travel intentions for the future. While some of the outcomes support the generally expected consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, many are quite surprising and challenge existing anticipations for dramatic changes in tourist demand and behavior, at least in regards to Bulgarian customers.

The paper deals with travel intentions and preferences of Bulgarian residents amid the pandemic as identified in a survey conducted online with 350 participants in April-May 2021. The analysis covers (1) intended frequency of different types of travel, (2) general travel preferences, and (3) specific preferences regarding the choice of accommodation. It also explores which demographic and social factors determine travel intentions and preferences during the pandemic. Both expected and unexpected findings are presented, with some wide-spread anticipations being challenged in a specific country context. Results show that people have become more restrained towards all types of travel, especially abroad and for business. However, in the case of Bulgaria the shift toward domestic tourism seems forced by external constraints rather than due to internal factors such as health risk perceptions of strong patriotic feelings. Of paramount importance for the travel choices of Bulgarian customers is the combination of economic and sanitary factors providing both financial and health safety. In contrast to most studies around the world, ‘pure’ health-related preferences associated with the level of COVID-19 contamination or vaccination are of relatively low significance. Age stands out as a major determinant of travel intentions and preferences while other socio-demographic factors are not clearly related to intended frequency of travel but do matter in terms of various travel preferences.

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The paper deals with the impacts of hosting the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) by the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv in 2019 through the lens of the local community. Based on a survey conducted in 2021 with 444 residents, the perceived effects of the initiative were discussed in four domains: (1) Cultural, (2) Economic, (3) Social, and (4) Urban environment and atmosphere. Descriptive statistics techniques and analysis of variance were applied to interpret the data and outline the differences in the perceptions affected by respondents? socio-demographic characteristics. The findings indicate that in general, the ECOC impacts are perceived rather positively, although the locals are hesitant if benefits outweigh the costs incurred. None of the impacts is perceived as high by the survey participants, with mean values of agreement hardly reaching four on a 5-grade scale. The most recognized positive effects refer to the city?s cultural life and the opportunities for local artists to perform; next come benefits for tourism development and promotion along with improvements in urban environment and infrastructure resulting from the ECOC implementation. Less clearly perceived are negative effects such as the price rise and the preference given to tourists over the locals. Significant differences in perceptions are determined by respondents? education, personal involvement in the ECOC organization, age, gender, and sphere of professional activity. However, such differences are found in roughly half of all 22 statements under study, meaning that certain perceptions depend on the socio-demographic profile while others do not.