Iliana Todorova
TIAS School for Business and Society
Mirjam Minderman
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Gabi Tour is a wildlife and nature adventure tourist company local to the Eastern Rhodope region in Bulgaria. This is a business with a cause, and with great ambitions for development of sustainable tourism which are gently but skilfully put to work day in and day out for the benefit of local communities, and for the preservation of the unique natural and cultural heritage of the region.
“If we only pause for a minute to think about what we really love doing, what our hobbies and strengths are, we might see that exactly those things can be transformed into an interesting business proposition. Don’t be afraid to shake your routines, and take a fresh look on what you usually take for granted…then you might start seeing how disadvantages can be turned into opportunities.” (Mihaela Kircheva)
The Rhodope Mountains stretch across Bulgaria and Greece occupying an area of almost 15 thousand square kilometres. The Western and Eastern Rhodopes, jointly account for about 11% of the Bulgarian countryside. For many, this is a remote and backward mountainous region with limited industrial activity, poor infrastructure, high unemployment and numerous forgotten villages. At the same time, this is also a region endowed with breath-taking natural beauty, bird and animal diversity, ancient Thracian sanctuaries, and picturesque villages where life follows a century-old rhythm.
In this largely unknown and unappreciated corner of Europe, local-born entrepreneur and tourism professional Mihaela Kircheva, runs a small wildlife and nature adventure company. She established Gabi Tour in 2005 and together with a team of like-minded colleagues started developing and offering innovative tourist services relying on the unique natural and cultural resources of the Eastern Rhodope region. Gabi Tour’s event calendar is full of adventures – from hiking, farm stays, rural holidays, and wine-tasting to mountain biking, and from rafting and kayaking to bird and wildlife watching. All these activities are built on the principles of sustainable tourism and effectively turn what many would see as regional disadvantages into advantages and opportunities for business.
Mihaela defines sustainable tourism as a visit, which leaves nothing behind at the destination but friendships with the local people. This means leaving no harmful trace in the natural environment or cultural heritage of the destination, and respecting the local community and its interests.
From the very beginning of her career, Mihaela wanted to create a different kind of experience, departing from the conventional forms of mass cultural tourism which rely on long bus transfers and hurried sightseeing in crowded locations. She proactively sought participation in projects on alternative forms of tourism, such as “green” and “eco” tourism.
In her blog, Mihaela reflects on her professional journey: “When we started our activities in the Eastern Rhodopes in 2005, we did not yet fully appreciate the treasures at our fingertips. We had little experience, but dreamed of creating something different and new. Throughout the years, we worked together with many partners, and it was the world view of our Dutch colleagues that inspired us and opened our eyes. That’s how we started to see the opportunities in what for many years was believed to be a disadvantage in the Eastern Rhodopes. In addition to creating new adventures, our dreams today also include sharing our insights with other young people in the Rhodopes, so they can also begin to see and embrace opportunities.”
The team of Gabi Tour consists of specialists in various fields – ornithologists, mountain and wildlife guides, outdoor enthusiasts and sports professionals, all brought together by their shared values and the love of wild mountain trails, clean air, authentic experience, real village people and healthy food. The Gabi Tour team is also the main creative force behind all adventures, although local farmers, hotel and restaurant owners also provide ideas and suggestions to support the service design. Customer feedback is sought after every activity and becomes an important input to the continuous improvement of all adventures on offer.
Under the umbrella of Gabi Tour, Mihaela engages in a diverse set of projects and initiatives aimed at promoting the opportunities associated with sustainable tourism in the Eastern Rhodopes, and raising the awareness in the local community. She is a consultant in the field of tourism development, an amateur photographer and a blogger with a strong social conscience and a clear stance.
Mihaela has the vision to establish the brand of the Eastern Rhodope region as a tourist destination for eco-tourism with distinctive character and personality. She emphasises the importance of working together, of forming partnerships and joining efforts with other businesses with the same motivation and purpose to achieve these ambitious objectives.
Visitors to the Eastern Rhodope are often impressed by the welcoming and open attitude of the local communities, as well as by the solidarity and cohesion in the area. People have come to rely on income from the tourists, everybody knows each other, and everybody is willing to offer advice, direction and recommendation. There is a great working atmosphere and this reflects positively on the tourist flows.
The innovative and open approach of Gabi Tour benefits the business by creating value for its customers, its partners and finally - for its owners and the team of employees and collaborators.
The tourist services of Gabi Tour meet the increased demand for alternative forms of recreation associated with the shift in attitudes towards more sustainable lives and consumption patterns. The typical customer for Gabi Tour’s adventures comes from the major cities in Bulgaria and is drawn to the area by the promise of a different holiday, away from the huge crowds and hustle and bustle of traffic. Gabi Tour offers active recreation in wild places undamaged by human activity and an escape into the timeless atmosphere of this wilderness. Tourists enjoy a stimulating, albeit a physically intense experience, which charges the spirit with new energy and presents opportunities to see the world through new lenses.
Gabi Tour’s approach to developing tourism also benefits numerous local businesses which are part of the tourist network in the Eastern Rhodopes. Within an international project with Dutch participation, the New Thracian Gold network of local entrepreneurs and farmers was established. They are all embracing sustainability principles and applying them in their business ventures. This network becomes the basis for the development of alternative tourism offerings in the area. Eco-tourism is a playing field for small players, and cooperation is imperative for survival. Although healthy competition exists, the providers of eco-tourism work together more often than they compete. For example, they regularly use each other’s equipment and facilities to meet demand. Importantly, eco-tourist providers in the region also share in their responsibility towards the environment and the preservation of the natural riches in the region. They jointly participate in campaigns to clean up the natural areas where they operate, and in initiatives on tracking and counting the populations of bird and animal species.
Mihaela has a fascinating view on business and personal success. Although she admits profit is important for sustaining the business, she emphasizes that this is not what drives her and talks about sufficiency and sense of purpose. Sustainable business should also responsibly interact with the community, respecting the customs and traditions of the locals without encroaching on their privacy or passing judgement, and should be generous to support local causes. In that respect Mihaela jokes that “adventure tourism earns a little but enables you to live well” and is an inspiring example of how people can turn hobbies and passions into a dependable business.
Through its activities, Gabi Tour benefits the society at large by:
Gabi Tour also benefits the environment through:
“We love the wild trails and real village people. We seek authentic experiences and home-made food. In brief, we treasure the small, but real things in life.” (Mihaela Kircheva)
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Mihaela Kircheva, Founder
Gabi Tour is a wildlife and nature adventure tourist company local to the Eastern Rhodope region in Bulgaria.