Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries of the new millennium. Bulgaria is a destination with an extremely large variety of natural and anthropogenic tourism resources and a relatively well-developed tourism sector of the economy, which brings significant income to the country’s economy. Varna tourist region is one of the leaders in the development of tourism, both for sea vacations and specialized types of tourism. Despite the great potential of the country and the researched tourist areas in particular, there are a number of problems related to uneven tourist development, seasonality, deteriorated tourist infrastructure and the quality of the services offered. The purpose of this paper is to study the current state of tourism and the opportunities for its development in the region.

Rhodope Tourist Region is one of the most attractive tourist regions in Bulgaria and one of the few that stand out with almost uniform year-round development of tourist activities. The outlines of the tourist area largely coincide with the outlines of the mountain of the same name. This fact predetermines the exceptional richness and diversity of natural tourist resources. Here are the largest coniferous forests in the country, some of the largest dams, the largest number of caves used for tourist purposes, many mineral springs, bizarre rock formations, etc. The relatively well-preserved natural environment is a prerequisite for the presence of extremely high biodiversity, as well as a large number of protected areas. The region is specialized in mountain tourism, incl. ski tourism and hiking. In connection with the available natural tourist resources, the tourism product is increasingly enriched with various specialized types of tourism, incl. balneotherapy tourism, ecotourism, rural tourism, etc. In connection with the increasingly intensive tourist load, the problem of protecting the natural tourist resources from the growing anthropogenic pressure, as well as the prospects for sustainable development of the tourist industry in the region are becoming especially relevant. The aim of the present paper is to valorize the natural tourist resources of the Rhodope tourist region and to give guidelines for their sustainable use.

The reputation of the territory is based above all on the territorial individuality, which consists of (1) the identification features of the site and (2) the set of its distinctive features and resources. Natural tourism resources, as an important part of this totality, contribute significantly to the formation of the reputation of the territory. More than two-thirds of the trips are directed to these resources. Therefore, they can be decisive. Bulgaria's natural tourism resources are varied and specific. Their peculiarities are determined by the location of the country in temperate latitudes along the fringe of the subtropics and bordering the Black Sea and the Danube. Having many mountains is also important for Bulgarian tourism and for shaping the tourist image of Bulgaria. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the use and to determine the importance of Bulgaria's natural tourism resources for the formation of the country's tourist reputation. The essence of such an issue is closely related to the opportunities, efficient exploitation and realization of the potential of these resources, on the one hand, and the establishment of a beneficial, active and consciously managed reputation in the tourist territory, on the other hand.

Bulgaria is a country with an extremely diverse nature. Unlike a number of European countries, Bulgarian nature is relatively well preserved. For the purposes of its protection, a network of protected areas was created, which occupy 5.3% of the country’s territory. Bulgaria also participates in a number of international initiatives, which put about 1/3 of the territory of Bulgaria under protection of the natural environment. According to the Protected areas Act in Bulgaria, 6 categories are distinguished - national parks, natural parks, reserves, maintained reserves, protected localities, natural attractions. Among them, important resources for the development of tourism are national parks, natural parks, protected localities and natural attractions. They represent unique sites for the development of alternative forms of tourism such as ecological, cultural-cognitive, route-cognitive tourism, etc. On the other hand, reserves and maintained reserves prohibit tourism activities. The network of protected areas is unevenly developed throughout the country. It is better represented in the mountainous areas, and in the plain parts of the country it is more limited due to the strong anthropogenic changes and the pressure from various human activities. In connection with the preserved nature, the mountains are preferred sites for tourism. The contribution of the protected areas in this regard is significant. Stara planina tourist region is among the country’s tourist areas with well-defined mountainous characteristics. This is an important prerequisite both for the preservation of nature and for the formation of a suitable environment for recreation and tourism, and the mentioned directions are mutually bound. The purpose of this article is to valorize the protected areas in Stara Planina tourist region and to highlight the possibilities for their current and future use for the development of tourism.