In this episode #28, we speak with Zina Sorensen & Vasil Zlatev. The couple met in 2012 during their Master’s programme in Environmental Policy and Management at The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics in Lund, Sweden. Vasil’s background is in environmental economy and policy, while Zina’s background is in hospitality and tourism. Both fell in love with the wines and wine regions they experienced while traveling around Bulgaria in 2013. Both are enthusiastic about sustainable and authentic tourism, so in 2013, Zina moved to Plovdiv – Bulgaria’s second largest town – and co-founded Bulgaria Wine Tours a year later. While Zina manages the day-to-day operations of Bulgaria Wine Tours, Vasil leads most of the tours himself.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- Why a destination needs to diversify its product portfolio to be competitive
- How the poison is in the dose – nothing in extremes gives great results
- How new technologies threaten culinary tourism experiences & what can be done to prepare for a sustainable future for our industry
- Why the personal touch needs to be preserved when you’re trying to create an offer an authentic experience
- Why storytelling is important in service
- How food evokes specific memoriesDiscussed in this episode:Bulgaria Wine Tours
