Научни трудове на Съюза на учените в България-Пловдив, серия Б. Естествени и хуманитарни науки, т.ХУЬ Научна сесия „Техника и технологии, естествени и хуманитарни науки", 30-31 Х 2013 Scientific researches of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria-Plovdiv, series B. Natural Sciences and the Humanities, Vol. XVI.,ISSN 1311-9192, Technics, Technologies, Natural Sciences and Humanities Session, 30-31 October 2013
АНАЛИЗ НА МЕСТАТА ЗА НАСТАНЯВАНЕ И ОЦЕНКА НА ТУРИСТИЧЕСКОТО ТЪРСЕНЕ И ПРЕДЛАГАНЕ В ОБЛАСТ
ВИДИН
Елена Петкова Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски"
Analysis of the Hotel Establishments and Tourism Supply and Demand in
the Region of Vidin, Bulgaria
Elena Petkova
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Abstract: in this paper an analysis of the statistical data about the hotel establishments in the region of Vidin, Bulgaria is done. This analysis allows an evaluation of tourism supply and demand in the region to be done. The data is about the supply, demand and results of the hotel establishments during the time period 2008-2012 and about the municipalities of the region.
In this paper an analysis of the statistical information about the accommodation facilities in the district of Vidin is performed. The information allows tourism demand and tourism supply to be estimated. In this regard, some indicators for the last 2012 year are analyzed; the trends in tourism development are outlined as the data for the period 2008-2012 is compared, and an aanalysis of the accommodation facilities in the municipalities within the district are analyzed. The analysis is about the district of Vidin, but the approach and indicators can also be used in order the tourism demand and supply in other regions of Bulgaria to be evaluated.
Data about the accommodation facilities (hotel establishments) make it possible the following aspects to be analyzed: (1) tourism supply or the capacity of the accommodation facilities, using indicators such as number of accommodation facilities, number ofbeds in accommodation facilities, etc.; (2) tourism demand by using indicators such as night spent and arrivals in the accommodation facilities; and (3) the results of tourism activity by using indicators such as revenues (income) from nights spent, etc. Thus the state and opportunities for tourism development in a region can be analyzed. In this study values of such indicators are analyzed about the district of Vidin as comparative analysis with the average values about Bulgaria is done, as well as analysis of the values of the indicators in the present compared to the previous time periods and analysis of the values of the indicators by municipalities within the district are done. Besides the quantity data, information about the categories of accommodation facilities, that present the quality of tourism facilities in the district of Vidin, are analyzed too.
In 2012 the shares of the district of Vidin of the total numbers of Bulgaria are about 1%, concerning: the accommodation facilities, bed nights, arrivals, and some indicators related to the development of domestic tourism, such as nights spent by Bulgarians, Bulgarian arrivals and revenues from nights spent by Bulgarians. The share of the district of the total values of Bulgaria are even smaller or almost 0% with regard to the indicators related to the capacity of the accommodation facilities - number of beds - and nights spent and revenues from nights spent, as well as indicators concerning the international tourism - nights spent by foreigners, foreigner arrivals and revenues from nights spent by foreigners. Therefore the district has a more favorable position with regard to domestic than international tourism compared to Bulgaria (see Table 1).
Table 1. Accommodation Facilities (Hotel Establishments) in 2012 in the district of Vidin and in Bulgaria, Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, www.nsi.bg
2012 District of Vidin Bulgaria Share Vidin to Bulgaria
Number of accommodation facilities 33 2758 1%
Number of beds in the accommodation 891 301140 0%
Number of bed nights 329073 56211431 1%
Nights spent 52249 20252038 0%
Nights spent by foreigners 10912 13451440 0%
Nights spent by Bulgarians 41337 6800598 1%
Arrivals 30978 5494014 1%
Foreigner arrivals 4953 2632062 0%
Bulgarians arrivals 26025 2861952 1%
Revenues from sales of rooms - leva 1976210 836210287 0%
Room revenues from foreigners 400571 597968371 0%
Room revenues from Bulgarians 1575639 238241916 1%
In Table 2 values of some indicators of the rate of efficiency of the accommodation sector in the district of Vidin and in Bulgaria overall in the last 2012 are presented. Revenue of one person is an indicator of the average sum of money spent for accommodation by one person who visited the region. This indicator does not take into account the length of stay, but other things being equal, a person who stays longer spends more money in the region. The indicator revenue per one night shows what the sum of money spent by one person for one night in the region is and thus considers the length of stay. The indicator rate of occupancy reveals how effectively the capacity of the accommodation facilities in the region is utilized.
In 2012 the district of Vidin occupies more unfavorable positions with comparison to the national average in terms of the indicators revenues per one night, revenues per one night by a foreigner, revenues per one person, revenues per one Bulgarian and revenues per one foreigner. The district occupies more favorable position only with respect to the indicator revenues per one night by a Bulgarian. It can be concluded that tourism activities and particularly international tourism in the district of Vidin are not enough efficient. In other words, tourists in the district spent relatively less money per night, which could be due both to the relatively low category and quality of the accommodation facilities, and the low level of variety of services offered in Vidin.
Table 2. Revenues from selling rooms in accommodation facilities, revenues per person and length of stay in the hotel establishments in 2012 in the district of Vidin and in Bulgaria
Source: National Statistican Institute of Bulgaria, www.nsi.bg
2012 District of Vidin Bulgaria
Revenue/ income per bed per one night - leva 37,82 41,29
Revenue per bed per one night from Bulgarian 38,12 35,03
Revenue per bed per one night from foreigner 36,71 44,45
Revenue per one person from sales of beds 63,79 152,20
Revenue per one Bulgarian from sales of beds 60,54 83,24
Revenue per one foreigner from sales of beds 80,87 227,19
Average length of stay per one person - days 1,7 3,7
Average length of stay per one Bulgarian 1,6 2,4
Average length of stay per one foreigner 2,2 5,1
Rate of occupation of accommodation facilities 16% 36%
The average length of stay of a person (in general and of a Bulgarian and of a foreigner in particular) in the Vidin district in 2012 is about 2 nights. For comparison, in Bulgaria generally
a person stays almost twice as long on average - about 4 nights, and a foreigner stays 5 nights on average. This, together with the lower values of revenues per one night and per one person in Vidin District compared to Bulgaria overall could also mean that the transit tourism prevails in the district, i.e. most of the visitors and in particular foreigners probably just pass through the district and perhaps they need to stay for one night. It can be added that on average only about one-sixth (16%) of the beds of the accommodation facilities are occupied during the year. The rate of occupation of Vidin district is significantly lower than the national average (36%, one-third).
The degree of development of the international and domestic tourism is revealed in Table 3. It is generally assumed that the international tourism is more economically efficient than domestic tourism, as the international tourists usually tend to spend more money, stay longer and accordingly bring more revenues to the destinations. As it was shown in the Table above this statement is not valid for Vidin district as the revenues per night spent by Bulgarian exceed the revenues per night spent by foreigner. However, the international tourism development could be beneficial to the district if the length of stay of tourists is increased. Table 3 shows that the domestic tourism prevails in the Vidin district. While in Bulgaria generally a little more than the half of the arrivals are Bulgarians (52%) and the other almost a half are foreigners (48%), and above three quarters (76%) of the nights are spent by foreigners, in Vidin district in particular the foreigner arrivals are only 16% and the nights spent by foreigners are only 21%. Accordingly, revenues per nights spent by foreigners in the district of Vidin are only one-fifth (20%) of the total revenues per nights spent by foreigners plus Bulgarians, compared to the share of Bulgaria of revenues per nights spent by foreigners of the total revenues per nights (spent by foreigners plus Bulgarians), which is 72% or nearly three-quarters. It can be concluded, that in the district of Vidin the international tourism is significantly less developed than domestic tourism, as well as compared to its overall level of development in Bulgaria on average.
Table 3. Nights Spent, Arrivals and Revenues from Bulgarians and Foreigners in the Accommodation in 2012, Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, www.nsi.bg
2012 Arrivals Bulgarian Arrivals Foreigner Arrivals
Bulgaria 5494014 100% 2861952 52% 2632062 48%
District of Vidin 30978 100% 26025 84% 4953 16%
2012 Nights spent Nights spent by Bulgarians Nights spent by foreigners
Bulgaria 20252038 100% 6800598 34% 13451440 76%
District of Vidin 52249 100% 41337 79% 10912 21%
2012 Revenues from beds Revues from Bulgarians Revenues from Foreigners
Bulgaria 836210287 100% 238241916 28% 597968371 72%
District of Vidin 1976210 100% 1575639 80% 400571 20%
Table 4. Accommodation facilities by category/ stars in the district of Vidin in 2012,
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, www.nsi.bg
2012 District of Vidin Category 1 and 2 stars -number-share Category 3 stars -number-share Category 4 and 5 stars -number-share Accommodation facilities - total - number-share
Accommodation facilities 22 67% 10 30% 1 3% 33 100%
Beds in the accommodation facilities 435 49% 369 41% 87 10% 891 100%
Bed nights in the accommodation facilities 169735 51% 127527 39% 31811 10% 329073 100%
Nights spent 16682 32% 24554 47% 52249 100%
Nights spent by foreigners 3671 34% 6023 55% 10912 100%
Nights spent by Bulgarians 13011 31% 18531 45% 41337 100%
Arrivals 10628 34% 15161 49% 30978 100%
Foreigner Arrivals 1839 37% 2317 47% 4953 100%
Bulgarian Arrivals 8789 34% 12844 49% 26025 100%
Revenues from sales of beds - leva 444700 23% 897557 45% 1976210 100%
Revenues from foreigners 84210 21% 259312 65% 400571 100%
Revenues from Bulgarians 360490 23% 638245 41% 1575639 100%
The quality of accommodation facilities in Vidin district can be estimated on the basis of the categories, which in turn are determined according to the compliance with minimum requirements for providing certain standards of service. Table 4 reveals that in 2012 about two-thirds of the accommodation facilities in the district of Vidin are of low category - 1 and 2 stars. Only 30% of
accommodation facilities have medium categories - 3 stars. There is only one hotel establishment of high category in the district. Almost half of the bed capacity (49%) of the district is provided by the accommodation facilities of low category; 41% - by medium category facilities and 10% - by high category facilities. Therefore, the majority of beds of the district are offered by low category hotel establishments and accommodation facilities.
However, the demand of beds in the medium category accommodation facilities is greater in comparison to the facilities of other categories. In 2012 almost half of the nights (47%) in Vidin district are spent in accommodation facilities of category 3 stars. The share of the nights spent by foreigners in accommodation facilities of medium category is even greater (55%). Nearly half of the people in general (49%), Bulgarians (49%) and foreigners (47%) in particular in the Vidin district spent nights in medium category (3 stars) accommodation facilities. Most of the revenues from nights spent are generated again by accommodation facilities of medium category (3 stars), which are 45% of the overall revenues generated from nights spent in the district. Revenues from nights spent by foreigners generated by 3-star accommodation facilities have even a larger share -65% - of the revenues from foreigner nights spent generated by all categories of accommodation.
Table 5. Accommodation facilities during 2008-2012 in the district of Vidin
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, www.nsi.bg
District of Vidin 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Accommodation facilities 27 38 33 45 33
Weds in the accommodation 651 758 895 1012 891
Bed nights 219366 266702 315525 345551 329073
Nights spent 35413 48492 44344 54659 52249
Nights spent by foreigners 7500 16846 13820 12703 10912
Nights spent by Bulgarians 27913 31646 30524 41956 41337
Arrivals 24835 28967 27025 33515 30978
Foreigner arrivals 3354 4257 5178 5802 4953
Bulgarian arrivals 21481 24710 21847 27713 26025
Revenues from bed sales- lv 1251571 1865087 1799311 2088333 1976210
Revenues from foreigners 372596 753155 593367 475050 400571
Revenues from Bulgarians 878975 1111932 1205944 1613283 1575639
District of Vidin Change 2009/ 2008 Change 2010/ 2009 Change 2011/ 2010 Change 2012/2011 Change 2012/ 2008
Accommodation facilities 11 41% -5 -13% 12 36% -12 -27% 6 22%
Weds in the accommodation 107 16% 137 18% 117 13% -121 -12% 240 37%
Bed nights 47336 22% 48823 18% 30026 10% -16478 -5% 109707 50%
Nights spent 13079 37% -4148 -9% 10315 23% -2410 -4% 16836 48%
Nights spent by foreigners 9346 125% -3026 -18% -1117 -8% -1791 -14% 3412 45%
Nights spent by Bulgarians 3733 13% -1122 -4% 11432 37% -619 -1% 13424 48%
Arrivals 4132 17% -1942 -7% 6490 24% -2537 -8% 6143 25%
Foreigner arrivals 903 27% 921 22% 624 12% -849 -15% 1599 48%
Bulgarian arrivals 3229 15% -2863 -12% 5866 27% -1688 -6% 4544 21%
Revenues from bed sales-lv. 613516 49% -65776- 4% 289022 16% -112123 -5% 724639 58%
Revenues from foreigners 380559 102% -159788 -21% -118317 -20% -74479 -16% 27975 8%
Revenues from Bulgarians 232957 27% 94012 8% 407339 34% -37644 -2% 696664 79%
Table 5 presents the change in the values of the indicators that characterize the demand and
supply of the accommodation facilities in the Vidin district for the period from 2008 to 2012. The number of accommodation facilities continuously varies and has an overall increase by 22% for the period 2008-2012 or by 6 more hotel establishments. Accordingly, the accommodation capacity of the district has increased by over a third (37% or 240 beds). The nights spent in the district increased by nearly a half (48%), as the nights spent by Bulgarians have grown by a larger percentage (48%) compared to the nights spent by foreigners that increased with a smaller share (45%). During the period 2008-2012 the number of arrivals in Vidin has increased with a significantly lower rate, a quarter, as significantly higher is the increase rate of the foreigners (48%) than the one of Bulgarians (21%). However, significantly higher is the growth of the revenues from nights spent by Bulgarians (79%) than the increase of the revenues from the nights spent by foreigners (only 8%), probably due to the short length of stay of foreign tourists in the district.
Revenues from nights spent by foreigners have a significant increase only in 2009 compared to 2008, and during the later years of the period there is a decline. Therefore, the reduction of revenues from foreigners in the Vidin district could be due to the impact of the global economic crises. However, the total revenues of nights have increased by 58% for 2008-2012.
Table 6. Accommodation facilities in the municipalities within the district of Vidin in 2010.
Data source: Regions, Districts and Municipalities in Bulgaria 2010. National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. Sofia, 2012
Number of Share of Share of bed nights
2010 the hotel the hotel Num-ber Share of Number of Num-ber Share of
establishments establishments of beds beds bed nights of rooms rooms
Bulgaria total 3540 100% 283671 100% 61997293 100% 125621 100%
District of Vidin total 33 1% 895 0% 315525 1% 427 0%
Munic. Belogradchik 11 33% 191 21% 67426 21% 91 21%
Municipality of Vidin 21 64% 694 78% 244449 77% 331 78%
Municipality Dimovo 1 3% 10 1% 3650 2% 5 1%
Other Municipalities 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Note: Other Municipalities in the District of Vidin are: Boynitsa, Bregovo, Gramada, Kula, Makresh, Novo Selo, Rudzhintsi, Chuprene
After the accommodation facilities have been explored at quantitative, qualitative and temporal levels, they should be examined at territorial level too. Table 6 reveals that in 2010 only three out of 11 municipalities in Vidin district offer accommodation to tourists; these municipalities are Belogradchik, Vidin and Dimovo. About two-thirds of the accommodation facilities of Vidin district are located in the municipality of Vidin and most of the remaining, about one-third - in the municipality of Belogradchik. There is only one hotel establishment in the municipality of Dimovo. In terms of number of beds and number of rooms Vidin municipality has the largest capacity in comparison with the other municipalities in the district, as nearly four-fifths of the beds and rooms are concentrated there. Second, with a share of just over one-fifth ranks the municipality of Belogradchik. Dimovo municipality has a share of only 1% of the bed capacity in Vidin district. The municipalities of Vidin and Belogradchik are the major tourist centers.
As the individual municipalities in the Vidin district are characterized by different size of territory and number of population it is appropriately the number and capacity of accommodation facilities of every municipality to be compared with its size of the territory and the number of its population. If the ratio number of accommodation facilities per unit of territory has very low value, this could mean that the potential for tourism development is not utilized to a sufficient extent and if eventually the tourism demand increases a lot, this could lead to a shortage of accommodation facilities, representing a potential loss to the region. Alternatively, too high values of this ratio could mean that the region is overbuilt regarding the territory capacity, which again could cause discontent of the tourists. Therefore, it is necessary to look for steady averages level of the value of this indicator. The ratio number of accommodation facilities per population on one hand shows whether the number of hotel establishments is optimal with regard to the number of the available and potential staff in the region to serve the guests. On the other hand, the ratio might also indicate whether there are enough accommodation facilities, in order tourism development to be ensured, and accordingly income and benefits to the local population to be provided.
Table 7 reveals that in terms of all indicators - number of accommodation facilities per population, number of accommodation facilities per territory, number of beds in the accommodation facilities per population and number of beds in accommodation facilities per territory - Vidin district occupies less favorable position compared to the average levels for Bulgaria. It can be concluded that there is not enough capacity for tourism development in the district. The reason, as it can be seen in the table, is the lack of accommodation facilities in most municipalities within the district. The values of the indicator number of accommodation facilities per population are the highest about the municipality of Belogradchik, as its value is significantly
higher than both the average value for the district and for the country as a whole. Second with regard to this indicator ranks Vidin municipality which value is equal to the average value for the district. Vidin municipality has the highest value of the indicator number of accommodation faculties per territory, a value higher than the average for the district and Bulgaria, followed by Belogradchik municipality, which value is higher than the one of the district and is almost the same as the average for Bulgaria. Therefore, the municipalities of Vidin and Belogradchik have values close to or above the average for the country in terms of both indicators. Regarding the capacity, that is measured by the indicator number of beds in accommodation facilities per population, both municipalities of Vidin and Belogradchik have values higher than the average for the district and lower than the average for Bulgaria; and Belogradchik ranks first. In terms of the indicator number of beds in the accommodation facilities per territory Vidin municipality ranks first with values higher than those for the district, but lower than those for the country, followed by Belogradchik municipality that has significantly lower values. It can be concluded that the municipalities in the Vidin district can be classified into two main groups: the first one consists of Vidin and Belogradchik and provides favorable accommodation opportunities that meet (though not completely) the average level of options of Bulgaria generally; the second group includes the other municipalities, which opportunities for tourism and tourism supply are very limited.
Table 7. Number and beds in accommodation facilities per territory and population of the
municipalities in the district of Vidin in 2010. Source: Regions, Districts and Municipalities in Bulgaria 2010. National Statistical Institute, Bulgaria. Sofia, 2012
2010 Population Territory - sq. km Number of accommodation facilities / population Number of accommodation facilities per territory Number of beds per population Number of beds per territory
Bulgaria overall 7504868 111002 0,0005 0,0319 0,0378 2,5555
District of Vidin overall 105837 3033 0,0003 0,0109 0,0085 0,2951
Municipal. Belogradchik 6868 411 0,0016 0,0268 0,0278 0,4647
Municipality Bovnitsa 1659 166 0 0 0 0
Municipality Bregovo 6036 179 0 0 0 0
Municipality Vidin 64989 501 0,0003 0,0419 0,0107 1,3852
Municipality Gramada 2260 184 0 0 0 0
Municipality Dimovo 7066 402 0,0001 0,0025 0,0014 0,0249
Municipality Kula 4811 291 0 0 0 0
Municipality Makresh 1827 229 0 0 0 0
Municipality Novo Selo 3332 109 0 0 0 0
Municiplity Rudzhintsi 4769 233 0 0 0 0
Municipality Chuprene 2220 327 0 0 0 0
Table 8. Nights spent and arrivals in accommodation facilities of the municipalities in
the district of Vidin in 2010. Source: Regions, Districts and Municipalities in Bulgaria 2010. National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. Sofia, 2012.
2010 Nights spent - number (share) Nights spent byBulgarians - number (share) Nights spent by foreigners - number (share) Arrivals - number (share) Bulgarian arrivals - number (share) Foreigner arrivals - number (share)
Bulgaria in total 16261170 5695960 10565210 4411899 2327599 2084300
District Vidin in total 44344 100% 30524 100% 13820 100% 27025 100% 21847 100% 5178 100%
Minicip. Belogradchik 11376 26% 8999 29% 2377 17% 6769 25% 5652 25% 1117 22%
Municipality Vidin 32850 74% 21407 70% 11443 83% 20138 75% 16077 74% 4061 78%
Municipality Dimovo 118 0% 118 1% 0 0% 118 0% 118 1% 0 0%
Other Municipalities 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Note: Other Municipalities in the District of Vidin are: Boynitsa, Bregovo, Gramada, Kula, Makresh, Novo Selo, Rudzhintsi, Chuprene
Regarding the tourism demand, Table 8 reveals that Vidin municipality has the most favourable position in the district, as about three quarters of the total nights spent, in particular the nights spent by Bulgarians and foreigners, as well as the total arrivals and in particular Bulgarian and foreigner arrivals of the district are reported in Vidin Municipality. It is probably due to the fact that the town of Vidin is the main town of the district and has a port with a direct access to the Danube River. Second (with about a quarter) in terms of all indicators of tourism demand ranks 168
Belogradchik Municipality where there are natural sites and accommodation facilities.
Performance and results of the accommodation facilities might be evaluated with the help of the indicator revenues from nights spent. Table 9 reveals that nearly three quarters of the revenues of Vidin district (74%) are generated by the accommodation facilities located in Vidin municipality. Regarding the effective utilization of accommodation facilities Belogradchik municipality ranks first with an occupation rate of 17%, followed by Vidin municipality with a rate of 13%. Since the occupation rates of both municipalities are too low, it can be concluded that a significant part of the accommodation capacity in Vidin district is underutilized.
Table 9. Revenues from bed sales and rate of occupation of the accommodation facilities of the municipalities in the district of Vidin in 2010. Source: Regions, Districts and Municipalities in Bulgaria 2010. National Statistical Institute. Bulgaria. Sofia, 2012
Revenues Revenues Revenues from Bulgarians -leva Revenues from Bulgarians -share Revenues from foreigners -leva Revenues from Rate of
from bed sales - leva from bed sales -share foreigners -share occupa-tion - share
Bulgaria Total 653736875 100% 187973805 100% 465763070 100% 26%
Vidin District Total 1799311 100% 1205944 100% 593367 100% 14%
Munic. Belogradchik 17%
Municipality Vidin 1337873 74% 13%
Municipality Dimovo 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 3%
Other Municipalities 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0
Rudzhintsi, Chuprene
The values of revenues per one person in Vidin municipality are almost equal to the average values of the district, but significantly lower than the country average. This is probably due to the relatively short average length of stay of a person in the Vidin municipality compared to the length of stay in Bulgaria overall, since the revenues per one night in Vidin district and Vidin municipality in particular are close to the average values of the country (see Table 10).
Table 10. Revenues per one tourist and revenues per one night of the accommodation facilities of the municipalities in the district of Vidin in 2010. Source: Regions, Districts and Municipalities in Bulgaria 2010. National Statistical Institute. Bulgaria. Sofia, 2012
Revenues per one person
Revenues per one Bulgarian
Revenues per one foreigner
Revenues per one night spent
Revenues per night spent by Bulgarian
Revenues per night spent by foreigner
Total of Bulgaria
148
81
223
40
33
44
Total of Vidin District
67
55
115
41
40
43
Municip. Belogradchik
Municipality of Vidin
66
41
Municipality Dimovo
Other Municipalities
Note: Other Municipalities in the District of Vidin are: Boynitsa, Bregovo, Gramada, Kula, Makresh, Novo Selo. Rudzhintsi, Chuprene
It can be summarized that based on the analysis of the accommodation facilities, accordingly tourism supply and demand, it can be concluded that the major problems in Vidin district appear to be the low occupational rate of the establishments, the short length of stay of the tourists and the lack of accommodation facilities in most of the municipalities in the district. References:
National Statistical Institute, www.nsi.bg
Regions, Districts and Municipalities in Bulgaria 2010. National Statistical Institute. Bulgaria. Sofia, 2012