Museums, Cultural Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Bulgaria from the Middle to the End of the 20th Century. Main Moments of the Historical Development and Problems

This study presents the background of cultural tourism in Bulgaria. There are a lot of definitions of tourism, but everywhere in the leading places is mentioned the cultural heritage. Cultural tourism became a global autonomy economy branch in the 1980s. In Bulgaria, in the middle of the 1950s, a growth of restoration, preservation, and presentation work began. The number of museums increased from 70 in 1949 to 233 in 1999. The peak of museum visitors was between 1976 and 1987, but statistical data are not reliable. The transition to a democratic society and market economy was the real start of cultural tourism in Bulgaria, established on the material base, institutions, and infrastructure constructed during the studied period. The applied data shows that the percent of museum non-budget incomes increased, but the system still needs reforms and investments.