TUI Colourful Cultures Bulgaria

Borovets is a popular ski resort in the Rila Mountains of Bulgaria, just 90 minutes from Sofia. It attracts many winter tourists with its lively atmosphere and affordable prices. Nearby, the Samokov area is rich in cultural heritage - traditional crafts, folklore, and cuisine - but this side of the region remains mostly hidden from visitors. Outside the ski season, tourism slows down, and many locals face job insecurity and low income. Artists and cultural organisations struggle with limited funding and few opportunities to share their work.

TUI Colourful Cultures Bulgaria offers a new approach. It connects local artists, folklore clubs and cultural centres with the tourism sector. Through creative workshops and cultural events hosted in hotels, the project brings local traditions to tourists in a direct and engaging way. This helps preserve cultural heritage, supports local livelihoods, and gives visitors a deeper experience of the region.

Borovets is known for its winter sports and summer adventure activities, but its cultural potential remains unexplored, and tourists often miss the rich traditions of nearby Samokov. Local people, many of whom depend on tourism, face seasonal layoffs and unstable incomes. Artists and cultural groups have few chances to perform or teach, and community centres like the Chitalishta (traditional Bulgarian community cultural centre) receive only basic state support. As a result, cultural exchange is low, and the region’s heritage risks being forgotten.

TUI Colourful Cultures Bulgaria aims to change this by infusing culture into the tourist experience. Local artists and folklore clubs lead workshops in singing, dancing, embroidery, pottery, felt-making, and traditional cooking. These activities take place in hotels and other tourist venues, turning them into spaces where visitors can learn and take part. Children are also included through special workshops designed for them.

The project supports 100 local artists to lead these sessions and helps 10 cultural organisations gain visibility through a new “Borovets Creative Culture” calendar. In total, 80 workshops are delivered, and 20 partnerships are formed with hotels and tourism businesses. The result is 80 new cultural experiences for tourists, helping to extend the season and attract new visitors.

By connecting culture with tourism, the project creates new income opportunities for local people and helps preserve the region’s traditions. It gives artists a platform to share their work and tourists a chance to experience something real and meaningful. In doing so, it brings new opportunities to Borovets and Samokov - not just in winter, but all year round.

Project Partner

Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF) was established in 2001, as the successor to the Charity Know How (UK) Programme for Bulgaria. WCIF is working towards improving life for people and communities in Bulgaria, taking a holistic approach to sustain democracy and achieve social change. The Foundation addresses key issues such as democracy, human rights, gender equality, migration, and social justice among the most important ones. WCIF provides support to civil society organisations as agents of change in the form of funding, know-how, capacity building, software, and hardware donation. It engages with community groups and civil society organisations (CSOs), identifying and creating opportunities for peer learning and leveraging knowledge as well as involving them in joint actions. WCIF partners with national and foreign, public and private, donors. WCIF has supported more than 1,200 CSOs, implemented over 2,400 projects, and reached over 700 locations, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The Foundation is known for pioneering innovative approaches in participatory grant making, community philanthropy, including Youth Banks, corporate volunteering, and local giving mechanisms. WCIF's work has influenced more than 1.5 million Bulgarians. The Foundation provides expert consultation to businesses on the development of corporate social responsibility and giving strategies, serving as a bridge between the private and civil society sectors. It is a trusted actor in sector-wide advocacy and has led national efforts to establish governance standards for NGOs and support philanthropic infrastructure.

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