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Dr Petar Iankov, PhD The dynamics of the birdwatching activity
 Dr Petar Iankov
Voluntary period
The beginning of the birdwatching was based on a lot of voluntary activities: developing the itineraries, testing them, guiding the foreign tourists, etc. One of the groups in 1987 was entirely on a voluntary basis – is was an exchange group, when British birdwatchers from RSPB came in Bulgaria and were led and accommodated on the expenses of the Bulgarians, which later gave back the visit and done birdwatching in UK on the expenses of their British colleagues.
Business period
Very soon from these early years the birdwatching become based on real business relations. The Bulgarian tour company and their foreign partner undertook the organisation of the trips, including all elements –advertising, planning, economic aspects, etc. Naturally, the bulk of the profit from the tours was divided between these two partners. The partner in the foreign country has a key role in recruiting tourists for the groups. Depending on its profile and image, the ways of doing this are different. Well established tour companies have many ways to announce their tours and to have clients. Same could be seen with such a popular organisation as the BBFS. Some of the small Bulgarian tour operators are working without permanent foreign partners and are pressed to find ways to have clients by participation in the eco-tourist fairs, by web-sites, leaflets and other materials, popularising the services they offer. We found an interesting fact, that very often tourists, once visited the country, usually are passing the information to other people. In many cases they even popularise the destination and attract other people to visit Bulgaria. Another interesting fact is that many birdwatching tourists are coming again and again after they first visited Bulgaria. Often local conservation groups and societies come under their own organisation of the trip, just according the previous knowledge about the Bulgarian operator, guides etc. Every tour operator is working with a number of bird guides. As the Bulgarian birdwatching and ornithological community is still quite small, these bird guides are specialised in working with the different tour operators. The most of the guides are connected with BSPB and virtually all Bulgarian tour operators are working with them.
As mentioned above, at the initial period there were two partners only: the Bulgarian tour company (‘Balkantourist’) and the British agent (BBFS) or other foreign company. But the specific of this activity compulsory needs another side. It could be described as ‘the birdwatching guide’, as this is the person, determining the success of the tour. Theoretically this person could be hired from any ornithological organisation or institution. In the same time it appeared that this guide must respond to very special conditions. At first, specific complex of additional skills should be possessed, and it is of key importance: communication, special ability to find birds, to be able easily to identify hundreds of species by shape, sound, in various plumages, etc. Second, this person must be loyal to the other two partners, as being involved in the business, it is very easy to start competing business on the base of the established contacts. So, the development of the birdwatching tourism naturally created special group of ‘bird guides’, some of them – professionals, and every of these people is with well known reputation.
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How things developed 
