The issue of defining tourist regions in Bulgaria and their management has been discussed in the country over the last 50 years and is still relevant nowadays. So far, many attempts have been made to develop an acceptable solution in regards of the nature, functions and scope of the tourist regions in the country but for a number of reasons and in different political and economic context they have not been successful. At the same time, the need for tourist regionalization in Bulgaria has been recognized by almost all stakeholders in the tourism sector over the last 10-15 years. The aim of this article is to review and compare the existing tourist regionalization schemes of the country, thus allowing to trace the evolution of tourist regionalization and to highlight the main theoretical deficiencies, as well as the underestimation of scientific principles and approaches that underlie its practical inapplicability. The comparative analysis covers all concepts developed over the last 50 years that present a specific scheme of tourist regions, taking into account the relevant explanatory notes. For the purpose of the comparison, 9 criteria have been selected, which refer both to the approach and objectives, and to the specific schemes and their compliance with basic practical requirements. The results of the comparative analysis are chronologically presented in a table for their clearer and easier perception. The analysis has shown that the numerous tourist regionalization concepts of Bulgaria differ greatly in objectives, approaches and tools applied, and respectively provide different results in terms of country coverage, taxonomy, degree of the schemes’ details, etc. It has also shown significant differences in the tourist structuring of the country’s territory, which are more visible in the period after 1990. The development of a methodologically sound, politically acceptable and applicable scheme of tourist regions is a difficult political and scientific task but it is achievable through a reasonable compromise between the theory and the views of key stakeholders, in compliance with legislation and in the context of its objectives. The effectiveness of tourist regionalization for the purposes of tourism policy and destination marketing ultimately depends on its practical implementation. Otherwise, it could be considered merely as an “academic” exercise, which may have a scientific but not an applied value.

tourist regions, tourist regionalization, regional schemes