The heritization of Bulgarian rose

Povzetek

Bulgarian rose products are well known for their premier fragrance quality and are often used as a base ingredient in a number of high-end perfumery and cosmetics products. While a result of unique combination of relief, climate and soil conditions, the cultivation and production process largely depends on manual labor, and entails a rich variety of techniques, rituals and social practices. The latter have been turned into tourism attractions gaining popularity in the cultural events calendar. Grounded within the wider discourse of the qualitative method, the present study examines the origin, history and development of the rose cultivation culture and its associated practices that have led to the heritization of the Bulgarian rose. It advocates that a natural synergy between heritage and tourism development has occurred, serving sustainable tourism purposes, with tourism adding to the protection and enhancement of rose heritage values, and supporting regional economies.