PLOVDIV EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2019 General Plovdiv... · 2020. 5. 26. · Recognition of Plovdiv as a significant European cultural center ... information is rather of an internal

PLOVDIV – EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2019

Final Monitoring Report

March - April 2020

Table of Contents

I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1

II. Description of the achievements by area and indicator ..................................................................... 3

1. Cultural Sector Transformation ....................................................................................................... 3

1.1. Cultural Access and Participation ............................................................................................. 3

2. Identity and Image Impacts ........................................................................................................... 14

2.1. Recognition of Plovdiv as a significant European cultural center .......................................... 14

2.2. Sense of identity ..................................................................................................................... 17

3. Social Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 21

3.1. Social and cultural integration of marginalized groups .......................................................... 21

3.2. Wider participation of volunteers in cultural events ............................................................. 26

3.3. Quality of living ....................................................................................................................... 26

4. Economic Impacts .......................................................................................................................... 29

4.1. Growth in tourism .................................................................................................................. 29

Indicator 28: 20% increase in national and 30% increase in international visitors to Plovdiv ...... 29

4.2. New business and employment opportunities ...................................................................... 34

4.3. Economic vibrancy of the cultural sector ............................................................................... 35

III. Summary of the implementation of Plovdiv European Capital of Culture 2019 project – legacy and

challenges .............................................................................................................................................. 37

IV. Status by indicators .......................................................................................................................... 46

1

I. Introduction

The monitoring and evaluation of Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019 initiative is based on the

framework set in the Bid Book. The Bid Book:

- has formulated four assessment areas, which cover the four key areas of ECoC’s impact:

1) Cultural Sector Transformation

2) Identity and Image Impacts

3) Social Impacts

4) Economic Impacts

- has envisaged a monitoring schedule for the period 2017-2020, as follows:

2017: tracking and analysis of the results from the second baseline measurement;

review continued relevance of indicators and targets;

2018: produce analysis of progress against the baseline around the time of programme

launch;

2019: undertake major measurement exercise of the results, effects and impact

throughout ECoC year;

2020: produce and publish main analysis, incl. link to new strategy documents and

build key post-2019 objectives and targets.

The monitoring framework set in the Bid Book includes 39 indicators, for which different periods for

measurement after the determination of the baseline have been envisaged. According to schedule, in

the Second Baseline Monitoring Report the baseline for the period 2015-2017 has been established,

target values have been specified and a review of the continued relevance of each indicator and

periodicity of monitoring has been done. This final monitoring report takes into account the results in

2019 compared to the baseline.

The preparation of the final monitoring report is based on the following sources of information:

- a national representative survey among the adult population of the country (sample size

1004, face-to-face interviews);

- a representative survey among the adult population of Plovdiv (sample size 450, face-to-face

interviews);

- a poll among cultural events audience (3632 respondents in 2019);

- a quantitative survey among Roma households in Stolipinovo neighborhood (300 households,

face-to-face interviews with the head of the household, collecting indirect information on the

entire household – in the particular case of this sample – 1450 individuals);

- interviews with representatives of “chitalishta” and cultural institutions in Plovdiv (50

interviews);

- a desk research on the visitor flows in Plovdiv – data from the National Statistical Institute

(NSI) about the number of visitors in the city and in the region, number of overnight stays in

accommodation facilities, development of the economy sectors in the city and number of

employed in the relevant sectors, etc. For some indicators (12-14, 16, 18, 24), the

information is rather of an internal administrative nature and is accessible through the Office

2

of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation (reports, documentation/registers on procurement and

contracts, volunteers, analyzes, own monitoring, etc.).

This report links with the previous measurements of the indicators, tracks their dynamics and informs

on the final achievement against the set target values. The report contains analytical texts, tables and

charts for data visualization, including performance benchmarking on indicator level, lessons learned

from the implementation of the Plovdiv ECoC program, incl. the socio-economic impact for the city,

future directions for new strategic documents and setting key goals and objectives beyond 2019. The

report is in line with the foreseen in Section VI, Key Events section of the Bid Book: “2020 - publication

of the main analysis around May/June. Link to new strategic documents and build key goals and

objectives beyond 2019. "

3

II. Description of the achievements by area and indicator

1. Cultural Sector Transformation

1.1. Cultural Access and Participation

Indicator 1: Total number of ECoC events in 2019

The following specifics have been taken into account when establishing the total number of events:

- Events involving more than one individual display (e.g. under the same theme there is a

seminar/talk and an exhibition as a separate display). In cases where these events are

individual organization-wise, they have been treated as separate single events. Similarly, the

various productions within e.g. the Opera Open festival are completely independent and have

been treated as separate events. At the same time, however, wrapped festival events such as

those in Kapana district, Lauta park, the Youth Hill, the Main Street, etc., even if they have

involved a large number of mini-events, are uniform and should be treated as one event -

otherwise it would lead to an unrealistic increase in the total number of events.

- Events that have taken place more than once – like major theater productions that are of great

interest, but also smaller events in Stolipinovo that aim to reach more people in more places

around the neighborhood. In this case, the approach is to consider each edition as a single

event, with the organizational resources being invested for each one and different audiences

present at each one.

According to this approach, the number of reported events in 2019 amounts to 601 events based

on the reporting table maintained by the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.

It should be taken into account that this grand total includes programme events which:

- were held in other cities – a total of 54 events, incl. cities in the South Central region (24), other

cities in the country – Sofia, Varna, Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil (also 24), as well as abroad (6);

- had a very specific target or niche audience and a small number of participants – such as

master classes, workshops and seminars aimed at a narrow professional audience. As such, 55

of the events were identified;

- are supporting/organizational events – such as events for the volunteers, meetings with

international partners, press conferences, information days and presentations of calls for

proposals, etc. – 34 events.

Indicator 2: 50% of Plovdiv’s residents and 30% of regional ones attending ECoC events in

2019

The reached attendance is higher than the set target value by 10%, thus the indicator target having

been reached and exceeded, especially for Plovdiv‘s residents:

60% of Plovdiv‘s residents have attended at least one cultural event in the city (see the chart

in Indicator 3 section);

4

32% of the region's residents have attended at least one cultural event in Plovdiv. Region

residents are the residents of the districts of South-Central Planning Region, excluding the

residents of the city of Plovdiv itself.

ECoC events, visited by Plovdiv’s residents (open ended question, multiple response)

Spontaneous answers %

Concerts and other musical events, including festivals 44,5

Other festivals 28,3

Theatrical events and productions, incl. puppet theatre 24,1

Events at Kapana district 22,6

Exhibitions 22,2

The Opening event 19,2

Opera 10,5

NOSHT (Night of museums) 7,5

Street art events 6,1

Cinema related cultural events 3,5

Ballet, dancing 2,6

Seminars/Workshops related to different aspects of culture 2,0

Source: Plovdiv population representative survey

Indicator 3: 20% increase in cultural participation between 2015 and 2021

The following trends on engagement in culture and art have been observed over the 2017-2019

measurement period:

The aggregate of people with deliberate commitment to culture and art has remained stable

– about 49% of the adult population of Plovdiv.

The share of Plovdiv residents who indicate that they spend money on monthly basis on

cultural events and creative art products has increases from 50% to 58.3% in 2019, and the

average amount spent has increased from BGN 24 to 27 a month. The increase has varied over

the years; it is not very big, but is logical given the intense ECoC programme over the last 3-4

years.

The share of those who “visit relatively often cultural events in the settlement they live in” has

increased significantly – from 28% in 2017 to 40% in 2018 and 44% in 2019. This behavioral

change can be directly linked to the effects of implementing the project – the large number of

cultural events with high advertising has increased the interest towards attending cultural

events in general. This is, without any doubt, a positive fact, but it must be kept in mind that

the levels of cultural participation achieved will be difficult to sustain as the supply of cultural

products/events/opportunities is reduced.

5

“Would you describe yourself as a person who…”

Source: Plovdiv population representative surveys

Attendance at cultural events in Plovdiv

With a base value of 43% attending any cultural event in 2015, the target value is 51.6% (or 20%

increase). It has been permanently reached in 2016 and remains high in 2019. Maintaining the level of

cultural participation at the target value level (52%) in the future can be considered a good take on the

ECoC legacy.

Percentage of the adult Plovdiv population having attended at least one cultural-information event

in the city by year


13,7

28,3

44,0

48,5

12

40,4

46,2

48,9

14,4

43,8

43,8

49

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

visits relatively often cultural events outside thesettlement they live in

visits relatively often cultural events in thesettlement they live in

follows the news about culture and arts and aboutcultural events

is interested in culture and arts

2019 2018 2017

43,1

52,7 54,4

73,8

59,1

51,6 51,6

51,6

51,6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2015 2016 2017* 2018 2019 2020

Cultural event Target value for cultural participation

6

Indicator 4: Audience satisfaction with cultural content

Audience satisfaction was measured by a survey of visitors to different cultural events in 2019 (3,632

people), on a five-point scale, as set out in the monitoring framework:

68% of the respondents have also attended at least one other ECoC event, which increases the

relevance of the respondents group, respectively the reliability of the feedback.

Over 50% indicate “strong satisfaction”, and overall including those indicating “moderate

satisfaction”, the satisfaction level reaches 89%, which is above than the set target - "50% of

the surveyed audiences report satisfaction higher than average”.

Cultural content rating

Source: poll among event visitors

Indicator 5: Feedback on event organization

Feedback on event organization has been collected through the poll among visitors to various types of

cultural events. According to the opinion of the on the spot surveyed visitors (3632 people) the

following has been established.

Just over 1/2 to 2/3 give the highest possible score for three main organizational aspects of

the event – location, ticket price/entrance fee and organization during the event. Traditionally

the highest satisfaction is with regard to the location of the event, then the entrance fee, and

the organization of the event remains last.

52 37,3 7,9

2

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

2019

Strongly approve (excellent) Approve Neither approve, nor disapprove

Disapprove Strongly disapprove (poor)

7

Satisfaction with aspects of the event management

Source: poll among event visitors, 2019

Personal contacts and social networks remain the main source of information about the events,

indicating the strong influence of informal communication. However, the share of those who got

information from designated information materials of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation and the

respectiveevent organizers increased to 1/5 each.

What was the source of your information about the event?

Source: poll among event visitors, 2019

55,8

57,7

62,7

28,4

25,4

28,9

9,8

12

5,4

4

2,9

1,9

2

1,9

1,1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Organization

Ticket price

Location

#REF! Strongly satisfied (excellent) Neither satisfied, not dissatisfied

Dissatisfied Strngly dissatisfied (poor)

7,2

11,1

11,3

19,5

20,5

37,3

45,0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Print advertising

Radio and TV channels

Outdoor advertising

Information channels of event organizers

Information channels of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation

Social neworks

Friend/acquiaintances

8

The respondents shared some free-form opinions with regard to Plovdiv ECoC 2019 events:

Допълнителен коментар или предложение към Фондация "Пловдив 2019"

(свободно посочване) %

opinion / overall assessment

Everything is wonderful, thumbs up, it was very nice 33,2

More events like this shall take place 10,4

Events should continue after 2019 is over 8,2

Better and better bands / artists next time 6,3

More publicity / event advertising, information 7,2

Recommendations to aspects of the event organisation 28,7

Recommendations to the content 1,6

Indicator 6: Increased number of events out of the city center (incl. at the Chitalishta centres)

Outside the city center, 109 events were held, which is a significant increase in the number of previous

periods: 2015-2017 – 10 events (Second Baseline Monitoring Report) and 2018 – 35 events (Interim

Monitoring Report). The target set for this indicator is to increase the number of events outside the

city center by 30% compared to 2017, thus the target has been achieved.

An additional perspective is given by the fact that the proportion of events outside the city center

compared to the total number of public events in the city is maintained at about 1/5 of the events

throughout the entire monitoring period (for all three observations – baseline, intermediate and final,

as base for estimation of the share of events outside of the city center have been taken events that:

were held in Plovdiv and are public (not supporting/organizational. For 2019 these are 513 events.)

Indicator 7: Demographics of event participation and increased access to new audiences

The present results show that the socio-demographic profile of event visitors has remained broad.

The summarized data clearly show that the socio-demographic profile of event visitors from both

groups – residents of Plovdiv ("internal visitors") and visitors to Plovdiv from other places in the country

("external visitors") – has remained broad, encompassing school and university students, retired,

unemployed, older people (over 60 years), rural population, people from different ethnicities and

gender. Some dominants can be observed such as a higher proportion of the urban population, young

people up to 30 years, people with higher education, employed, visitors from Sofia. This profile to a

learge extent can be considered as a result of the increased access to culture after 2015, that has been

established as a sustainable trend – in 2019 about 360 events were with free entrance.

9

1) Demographics of Plovdiv cultural events attendees – Plovdiv residents

% event visitors 2015, 2016 or 2017

% event visitors 2019

Gender

Male 40,5 44,0

Female 59,5 56,0

Age group

18-30 27,3 28,2

31-40 24,9 18,0

41-50 15,2 16,5

51-60 14,5 15,4

61-84 17,0 21,4

85 + 1,0 0,4

Education

Higher 39,1 38,7

Secondary 54,3 54,9

Primary 6,2 5,6

Lesser than primary 0,1 0,8

Occupation

School/university student 6,5 7,2

Employed 73,7 71,1

Unemployed 7,7 4,5

Retired 12,1 17,3

Income

Average monthly income per household BGN 1 300 BGN 1500

Spending on culture

Cannot afford to spend money on cultural events and products at the moment

30,6% 18,8%

Average monthly spending on cultural events and products

BGN 27 BGN 27

Ethnicity self determination

Bulgarian 93,9 94,0

Turkish 2,1 1,9

Roma 1,7 0,8

Other 0,0 1,2

No answer 2,4 2,3

Internet usage

Constant 70,2 68,8

Regular 14,9 18,8

Occasional 4,5 7,9

Does not use the internet 10,4 4,5

Self-assessment of the commitment to culture and art

I am interested in culture and arts 62,3 70,3

I follow the news about culture and arts and about cultural events

52,2 59,8

I visit relatively often cultural events in the settlement I live in

38,8 68,4

I visit relatively often cultural events outside the settlement I live in

19,7 23,3

10

2) Demographics of Plovdiv cultural events attendees – Plovdiv visitors from the country

% event visitors 2015, 2016, or 2017

% event visitors 2019

Gender

Male 48,7 46,6

Female 51,3 53,4

Settlement of residence – type

Urban (town/city) 82,3 87,8

Rural (village) 17,7 12,2

District

Sofia city 22,2 39,7

Plovdiv district (excl. the city of Plovdiv) and other districts of the South Central Region

30,5 17,9

All other districts 47,3 42,4

Age group

18-30 16,5 24,9

31-40 18,4 21,2

41-50 21,5 15,3

51-60 21,5 23,8

61-84 22,2 14,8

85+ 0,0 0,0

Education

Higher 58,2 42,3

Secondary 38,0 54,5

Primary 3,8 3,2

Lesser than primary 0,0 0,0

Occupation

School/university student 3,8 9,5

Employed 86,1 76,2

Unemployed 0,6 4,2

Retired 9,5 10,0

Income

Average monthly income per household

BGN 1100 BGN 1500

Spending on culture

Cannot afford to spend money on cultural events and products at the moment

15,8 9,5

Average monthly spending on cultural events and products

BGN 44 BGN 43

Ethnicity self determination

Bulgarian 93,6 91,5

Turkish 4,5 5,3

Roma 1,9 2,6

Other 0,0 0,5

No answer 0,0 0,0

Internet usage

Constant 67,3 79,9

Regular 12,4 12,7

11

Occasional 11,1 5,33

Does not use the internet 9,3 2,1

Self-assessment of the commitment to culture and art

I am interested in culture and arts 88,0 85,2

I follow the news about culture and arts and about cultural events

74,7 79,4

I visit relatively often cultural events in the settlement I live in

78,5 75,7

I visit relatively often cultural events outside the settlement I live in

44,3 48,7

Indicator 8: Percentage of cultural events with free entrance allowing disadvantaged groups

access

The majority of events in 2019 are events with free entrance – 313 single events or 61% (based on 513

events that took place in Plovdiv and are public events (not supporting/organizational).

In addition, the share of events with free entrance in the region is very similar - 63%.

For comparison, the share of free entrance events in the baseline is 10%. The target goal for the

indicator is to increase this share, which has been exceeded more than 5 times.

Indicator 9: Increased number of cultural events in the Roma neighborhood Stolipinovo

In 2019, 61 individual events took place in Stolipinovo. The target value for this indicator is to increase

the number of events by 30% compared to the 10 events in 2017. The number of events has increased

6 times, the target value set thus being achieved.

To clarify, a significant proportion of these events are part of several larger, longer-lasting

initiatives/projects that involve multiple single events, such as:

- pARTnership – Plovdiv 2019 Foundation supported the Plovdiv Municipality project „All

Together – for Better Education and Health“ – a long term project aimed at the educational

and health integration of Roma and other disadvantaged groups living in Stolipinovo

neighborhood;

- Plovdiv KARAVANA open air artistic camps in Stolipinovo – a 10 days programme including

series of workshops, concerts and theatrical performances;

- Vesela Azbuka – a puppet theater performance for the youngest school students. Within half

a year, several performances were held with the participation of children and parents in the

schools of the neighborhood;

- GetToStolipinovo – a long-term project aimed at the local youth in Stolipinovo and the

opportunities for their active participation in public life, including meetings, workshops and

training sessions.

12

1.2. Cultural Vibrancy

Indicator 10: Number of European cross-border co-productions, guest international artists,

exported and imported productions

In 2019, public events with a cross-border dimension totaled 80, representing a fourfold increase over

2017. The target set for an increase from the baseline has been achieved. Over 130 direct partnerships

with creative organizations and artists from Europe have been established.

Indicator 11: Percentage of positive and negative reviews on ECoC artistic programme events

The percentage of positive and negative opinions about ECoC artistic events has been registered

through the poll among event visitors. To the question "Overall, what is your opinion about this

event?" 67% answered, 98% selected "positive", thus the target for the indicator – the positive

opinions to dominate over the negative ones – has been achieved.

In addition, the analysis of the media coverage in the country for the period 2016-2019 shows that

publications with a neutral and purely informative content predominate – the information press

releases of the Foundation published without any evaluative additions and comments. One of the most

covered events was the Opening Event – 1870 media publications. A more intense public discussion

with different opinions took place with regard to the Opening Event, which provoked also a greater

number of negative opinions. Other major cultural events however have a traditionally positive image

and enjoy public approval – and their intense coverage contributes to the overall dominance of positive

publications for the project as a whole (such as Hills of Rock – the second most covered event, Plovdiv

Jazz Festival, the events at Kapana district, Ayliak Parade, etc., as well as the calls for programme

proposals addressed to different artists and organizations).

Indicator 15: Increase of visits to museums/galleries/theaters/concert halls

The data for this indicator come from a survey among representatives of cultural institutions and

represent an indirect qualitative assessment by the respondents on their respective institutions. The

assessment of the visitors flows varies over the period for the different types of cultural institutions,

but there is also a dominant trend towards increasing the flows to a different extent, or at least to

retain it. A decrease has been identified in some years for galleries and “Chitalishta” centers.

13

Trends in the flow of visitors/service by types of institution (%)

Source: Survey among representatives of cultural institutions

0

0

33,3

0

50

20

0

0

0

16,7

37,5

12,5

21,4

26,3

47,4

31,6

50

80

33,3

66,7

0

20

66,7

83,3

27,8

16,7

31,3

43,8

28,6

42,1

31,6

42,1

50

20

33,3

33,3

50

60

33,3

16,7

50

66,7

25

37,5

28,6

26,3

15,8

21,1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

16,7

0

6,3

6,3

14,3

5,3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

5,6

0

0

0

7,1

0

5,3

5,3

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Theater 2019

Theater 2018

Theater 2017

Theater 2016

Museum 2019

Museum 2018

Museum 2017

Museum 2016

Chitalishte 2019

Chitalishte 2018

Chitalishte 2017

Chitalishte 2016

Gallery 2019

Gallery 2018

Gallery 2017

Gallery 2016

In has increased by 1/3 or more It has increased, but by less than 1/3

It remained the same It has decreased, but by less than 1/3

It has decreased by 1/3 or more

14

2. Identity and Image Impacts

2.1. Recognition of Plovdiv as a significant European cultural center

Indicator 16: National/international/social media attention, increased media coverage

Plovdiv as the European Capital of Culture has been featured in over 14,850 internet publications, print

publications are 2,177, and radio and television broadcasts – over 285. In 2019, the team disseminated

information on nearly 600 projects/events/activities (40-60 per month). The distribution of

publications for them in national and local media is respectively national – 1523 and local – 1857. One

of the most featured events is the Opening Event – 1870 media coverage entries.

In 2019, there is an increase in the share of all information channels, which is logical given the intensive

promotion and advertising of the ECoC in 2019. National televisions retain their leading role as a source

of information on the topic, reaching up to ¾ of the respondents. The share of internet-based sources

of information and radio stations, both local and national, has increased significantly (between 10-15

percentage points). The billboards (providing information to ¼ of the respondents) retained a stable

position, while printed materials increased by 5 to 8 percentage points. The share of people recieveing

information on ECoC 2019 from friends and acquaintances has increased by over 15 percentage points

– a trend registered in previous measurements, which indicates that the topic has entered the daily

life of people's friend circles.

In addition, 21.3% (up from 17% in 2018) indicate that they have visited the Plovdiv-ECoC 2019 website

at least once. Over ¾ of them self-identity as permanent Internet users – i.e. people who are used to

getting informed from the internet.

15

If you have heard/read/seen something about Plovdiv - ECoC 2019, what are the sources of this

information?

Source: National representative surveys

Indicator 17: Development of Plovdiv’s cultural tourism reputation

The positive trend regarding the reputation of Plovdiv as a destination for cultural tourism among the

Bulgarian public for the period of the initiative has been strongly confirmed:

there is a steady increase in the share of visitors to the city by over 10 percentage points for

the period – from 28% to 39% in 2019.

The share of visitors indicating cultural events as the main reason for their visit to the city has

increased more than three times – from 10.7% in 2015 to 38.6% in 2019. This fact can be

considered as the most significant achievement of Plovdiv ECoC in 2019. It is, however, a result

of the rich and varied program of the ECoC in 2019 and this level would be hard to maintain.

In the following years, maintaining the trend of 1/5 to 1/4 of the city visitors visiting Plovdiv with a

cultural event/site as the main reason for the visit, can be considered as a serious take on the Plovdiv

ECoC 2019 legacy.

1,1

1,4

5

7,6

8,0

9,7

12,1

16,2

18,8

20,7

24,6

62,5

0,2

9,3

8,1

10,4

16

18,7

17,4

30,2

30,7

37,3

24,9

75

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Other source

Local radion channels

Other social networks

Specialized websides for culture and art

Local TV channel

Posters

Brochures/leaflets

News websites

Nationwide radio channels

Facebook

Billboards

A nationwide TV channel

2019 2017

16

Share of the adult population of the country who visited the city of Plovdiv and share of those visitors

to the city with attending a cultural event as a main reason for the visit


The following data also confirm the development of Plovdiv's image as a cultural destination:

- Over the years of the initiative, the image of Plovdiv as the cultural capital of Bulgaria has

undergone a significant development – 51% of the respondents in 2019 agree with the

statement that Plovdiv is the cultural capital of Bulgaria, compared to a 40% share in 2017;

- It is a persistent belief among the national public that every foreigner who has visited Bulgaria

should see Plovdiv (shared by slightly more than 2/3 of the respondents) and that every

Bulgarian should visit Plovdiv at least once in their lifetime (shared by 3/4 of the respondents).

Percentage of respondents who indicate the answer “strongly agree” to the following statements:


10,715,1

19,5 23

38,6

28 31,4 26,533,2

39,3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Attending a cultural event/site is the main reason for the visit People who visited Plovdiv

69,2

74,3

39,8

69,5

79,4

51,9

69,6

76

50,6

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Plovdiv is a city that every foreigner who visitsBulgaria must see

Every Bulgarian must visit Plovdiv at least once intheir ligetime

Plovdiv is the cultural center of Bulgaria

2019 2018 2017

17

Indicator 18: Increased references to Plovdiv as a city of culture in media and social media

In addition to the information on media coverage in Indicator 16 section above, social media has been

used extensively – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter. Plovdiv ECoC 2019 Facebook page has

54,826 followers (as of 15.01.2020). Since the beginning of 2019, the number of followers has

increased by over 13,000 users, 80% of the audience being from Bulgaria, and 20% from abroad, with

the largest number of followers outside Bulgaria being from the UK, Germany and Italy.

In 2019 there have been more than 100 live streams, each reaching an average of 50 users at the time

of the broadcast and thousands after that. 515 FB events were created to reach more than 1 million

users. Nearly 62,000 were interested in a particular event and 7,500 used the 'buy a ticket' option.

More than 120 publications were published on a monthly basis, reaching more than 1.1 million people.

The number of active interactions – commenting and sharing, is almost equal to that of passive actions

– likes and clicks.

The Instagram account has nearly 10,000 followers, with a total of 1,253 posts created. About 50% of

the posts collected over 200 likes each, and Instagram Stories were added for every event (an average

of 100 likes per story). The # Plovdiv2019 hashtag was used 46,200 times by Instagram users. The total

number of LinkedIn followers is 412, user engagement is 22.81%. Most of them are from Bulgaria

(54.07%), Great Britain (4.89%), France (2.61%). The total number of followers on Twitter is 3 129.

2.2. Sense of identity

Indicator 19: Plovdivians identifying with the city and feeling proud to live in it

The monitoring confirms the hypothesis of a very high degree of identification of Plovdiv residents with

their city and, respectively, a highly developed sense of pride in it.

Almost 90% feel strongly connected to their city and would not want to leave it;

92% state that they are proud of Plovdiv and state a specific reason for this, with about 40%

related to the history and culture of the city;

Plovdiv's selection for European Capital of Culture for 2019 provokes positive associations for

72% of the city's residents (with 8.4% rather negative ones). The positive associations are

mostly associated with pride and prestige that the city has become famous internationally,

and recognized as a European center of culture, as well as the rich cultural programme –

increased number of interesting cultural events.

What does it mean to you that Plovdiv has been selected European Capital of Culture for 2019 (open ended question, 85% of the respondents have responded the question, multiple response)

%

Positive associations – 71,9%

Pride, prestige, we became popular, we proved to be a European center of culture 32,4

Many/increased number of interesting cultural events, enrichment of the cultural life

19,6

The city became nicer, new infrastructure was built 5,1

Many visitors, development of the tourism 5,1

18

I am pleased, I liked it 4,4

Economic development, more clients for many businesses in the city 2,4

I don't know what it is, but it's nice; I didn't go, but I'm proud 1,6

The culture in society is popularized, people have learned new things 1,3

Negative associations – 8,4%

Mediocre, it could have been better, it was poorly organized 3,3

Complete failure, a disappointment 1,6

Everything became more expensive 1,3

The uproar about the Opening – too much noise for nothing and scandals 1,1

Mass thefts 0,7

Poor advertising and posting, not enough events 0,4

Neutral associations – 5,8%

It means nothing to me, not interested 5,8


Indicator 20: Sense of belonging to Europe among citizens

The collected data show the following:

there is a significant increase in the Plovdiv citizens’ self-identification as citizens of Europe –

in 2019 43.3% already identify themselves as citizens of Europe to a "very high degree" and

"high degree", this share being 34.9% in 2017;

there is also an increase in the sense of belonging to Europe - the proportion of those who

have indicated that their sense of belonging to Europe has increased in the context of Plovdiv

being the European Capital of Culture has increased by 10% to reach 44%

To what extent do you define yourself as a citizen of Europe?


Over the past years, did your sense of belonging to Europe rather increased, remained the same or rather decreased ?


5,5

13,2

29,4

30,4

37,2

39,4

21,7

10,5

6,2

6,5

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2017

2019To a very high extent

To a high extent

To a moderate extent

To a low extent

To a very low extent

34,5

44,3

58,8

50,5

6,6

5,2

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2017

2019Increased

Remained thesame

19

Indicator 21: Percentage recognition rate of ECoC, likelihood/desire to visit

Recognition rate of ECoC

The recognition of the ECoC initiative is increasing and in 2019 the proportion of respondents who

know that Plovdiv was selected to be European Capital of Culture for 2019 has reached 85%. The latter

is an expected result of the information and advertising activities carried out and is in line with the

data on information channels.

Did you know that Plovdiv was selected a European Capital of Culture for 2019?

Source: National representative surveys, Plovdiv population representative survey

Interest and events visited in 2019

A total of 22% of the adult population stated that they had attended at least one ECoC event: 19% –

an event in Plovdiv city – and another 3% – an ECoC event in the region. This 22% extrapolated to the

number of adult population of the country (Plovdiv city excluded) amounts to about 1 215 696 people.

Respondents indicate, as an answer to an open ended question, that they have attended the events

quoted below. Some of the quoted events may not be part of the ECoC programme but perceived as

such by some respondents.

Events visited – nationwide public (open ended question, multiple response)

Type of event %

Concerts ans other musical events, incl. musical festivals 40,6

Exhibitions 30,1

Other festivals 14,8

Street art and performances 12,2

Theatrical events and productions, incl. puppet theatre 11,0

Events at Kapana district 9,1

The Opening event 5,3

90,3

85,3

66

56,6

9,7

14,7

34

43,4

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Plovdiv residents 2017

Nationwide public 2019



Yes, I know from before No, I am learning now

20

Seminars/Workshops related to different aspects of culture, incl. also traditional sports demontrations

4,8

Cinema related cultural events 4,3

Opera 4,2

NOSHT (Night of Museums) 2,6

Ballet, dancing 1,6

Source: National representative survey

21

3. Social Impacts

3.1. Social and cultural integration of marginalized groups

Indicator 22: Preventing the growth of school-age children from the Roma community in

Stolipinovo neighborhood who do not attend school. Awareness, participation, satisfaction

with the ECoC

Awareness and participation in ECoC activities among the Roma community

The Roma community inhabiting compactly the Stolipinovo neighborhood represents a special focus

in the overall concept of the ECoC initiative. For this purpose, a separate survey has been carried out,

which, despite its limitations, is the only source of information on some aspects.

The data show good coverage and accessibility of information on ECoC among the Roma households:

the proportion of respondents from the Roma households who know about Plovdiv being the

European Capital of Culture, has increased from 45% to 65% in 2019 (for the entire adult

population of Plovdiv the correspondent share is 90%);

the number and variety of information sources has increased significantly compared to the

baseline situation and includes all those sources, applying to the general Plovdiv population;

two channels, however, retain a main role – friends/acquaintances (50%) and national TV

channels (28%), followed by billboards (15,5%) and Facebook (11%), all others having been

mentioned by less than 7%.

The answers to the question “What does the selection of Plovdiv as European capital of culture mean

to you?” confirm the existence of a significant and stable group of almost 1/3 (28%), which

demonstrates an explicit distancing and lack of interest towards the initiative, which, clearly, makes it

difficult to provoke their engagement. However, other important information from the survey

indicates that for almost 2/3 (62.7%), Plovdiv ECoC has brought something positive for them or the

city, and the negative associations are below 1/10.

What does it mean to you that Plovdiv has been selected to be the European capital of culture in

2019?

Free form answers е (39% of the respondents have given an answer) %

Nothing/I don’t care about that 28,2

Positive associations

Plovdiv is becoming more famous, pride 27,4

It is good for the city, the city developed, modern Plovdiv, the streets improved

13,8

Many guests of the city, so many people of the main street 8,5

Development of artistic activities, many cultural events 7,7

Free concerts, lots of fun for us too 2,7

I like it, I enjoy it 2,6

22

Negative associations

It is very far from our neighborhood, we have not felt it here 3,4

A lot of money spent for nothing 1,7

Everything is going to become more expensive now 1,7

I'm not fascinated, I don't like it 1,7

A lot of noise 0,9

Source: Survey among Roma households in Stolipinovo

Respondents who declare any basic interest in the field of culture and art (mostly related to music,

dance, cinema, drawing) are 20% – an increase of 8% compared to the baseline situation. The

correspondent share among the national public and the population of Plovdiv reaches 80%.

In 2019, 4% of the Stolipinovo Roma household members attended an ECoC cultural event held in the

Stolipinovo itself, and another 8% – somewhere else in Plovdiv (this share is 60% for the Plovdiv

population) – mainly concerts, the Opening Event, Kapana Fest, other street/open air events. At the

same time, the share of households that spend money on culture on monthly basis remains unchanged

– only some 13%, the average amount spent being BGN 14. For comparison, the correspondent share

among the general adult Plovdiv population is 58.3%, and the amount – BGN 27. It can be assumed

that the Roma community have mainly attended free entrance ECoC events in the city and in the

neighborhood, which opportunity has also met with explicit approval in the above mentioned question

of “what does ECoC mean to you”.

There is a very clear differentiation in the Roma community by level of awareness of the ECoC.

Individuals who know about ECoC demonstrate a much closer profile to that of the general Plovdiv

population. Therefore, the extensity of an information campaign on a subject, one or another, is very

important and is indeed a stimulus for attitude and, possibly, longer-term behavioral change as well.

To achieve positive change within the Roma community it is very important to continue this

information strategy beyond 2019 – taking over the legacy of what has been achieved and achieving a

lasting impact.

23

Relevance of the awareness on the ECoC – profiles of the groups

Aware that Plovdiv has been ECoC (65% of the total aggregate)

Not aware that Plovdiv has been ECoC (35% of the total aggregate)

Having general interest in culture and art 27,5% 5,5%

There are household members who attend cultural events in the neighborhood

24,4 6,4

There are household members who attend cultural events outside the neighborhood

19,7

2,8

There are household members who attend cultural events in other settlements

5,2 2,8

Visited an ECoC event in Stolipinovo 5,2 0,0

Visited and ECoC event somewhere else in Plovdiv 10,9 0,9

Spending on culture – share of those who indicate that they do spend money on culture

83,0% 93,6%

Spending on culture – average amount spent per month

BGN 14,73 (mean)

BGN 6,67 (mean)

Illiteracy rates and school dropouts

In 57% of households there are school-aged children (7-18 years), with 60% of them being 7-14 years

old. Of these children, 12.0% had never gone to school and another 7.7% had dropped out in the last

year, with the latter share being 12% at the start of the initiative. These data support the hypothesis

that the proportion of school dropouts has not increased, and rather retained its levels in recent years,

which is of course due to many reasons, mainly the official counter dropout measures. Of course, on a

very general level, the overall atmosphere of promoting cultural and educational values promotes and

also creates incentives for the continued education of Roma children.

The last population census data from 2011 can be quoted as reference data, where the total number

of illiterate persons for Bulgaria is 1.7% and there are significant differences regarding illiteracy among

the three main ethnic groups. The share within the self-identified as Bulgarians is 0.5%; 4.7% for the

Turkish ethnic group and 11.8% for the Roma. Also, as of February 1, 2011, the children who should be

in the educational system but do not go to school, were 23.2% for the Roma ethnic group, 11.9% for

the Turkish ethnic group and 5.6% for the Bulgarian ethnic group.

Indicator 23: Increased level of tolerance and acceptance of vulnerable groups in society

The impact of the ECоC initiative on such fundamental attitudes has been, as expected, indirect and

limited, and the target goals set in the Bid Book have been too ambitious. In this sense, as well as

considering the available resources for the survey, it aims to reveal the background attitudes and

atmosphere, in which the ECoC has taken place, and to provide data on the basic structure of

acceptance of three disadvantaged groups – persons with physical disabilities, persons with mental

disabilities and the Roma ethnic group. To give a better picture, the survey has also identified the

attitudes towards representatives of 4 other ethnic groups (Armenian, Turkish, Greek, Jewish), who

24

are part of the city's traditionally diverse ethnic mosaic. The Bogardus scale was used to measure

tolerance, which was adapted to the ECoC initiative specifics.

It can be summarised, that there are stable attitudes to people from the respective groups, which

remains unchanged for the period of the initiative, confirming the marginalized position of the Roma

ethnic group, which is in contrast with the attitude towards other ethnic groups. Concerning cultural

happenings as an opportunity for approximation – there is, nevertheless, a sustainable group of the

Bulgarian ethnicity (1/5 to 1/4), for whom it is acceptable to go to a Roma neighborhood for the

purpose of attending a cultural event.

Structure of attitudes to accept different disadvantaged groups in the proposed roles

family friend neighbor mayor

Physical disability

Mental disability

Roma

- 1 symbol represents a minimum of 20% who accept a representative of the group in the correspondent role

Would you accept a representative of the following groups as: a person to live with as family, a

close personal friend, a neighbor, mayor of your city?

family

friend

neighbor

mayor

yes

no

un- deci-ded

yes

no

un- deci-ded

yes

no

un- deci-ded

yes

no

un- deci-ded

Physical disabilities 30,4 46,2 23,3 76,0 11,1 12,9 86,9 7,6 5,6 42,0 34,7 23,3

Mental disabilities 8,7 70,2 21,1 27,8 39,1 33,1 74,2 15,8 10 4,9 84,2 10,9


25

Would you accept a representative of the following ethnicity as: a person to live with as family, a close personal friend, a neighbor, mayor of your city?

Answers of the respondents of Bulgarian ethnicity

family

friend

neighbor

mayor

acceptance ethnicity

yes

no

un-

deci-ded


yes

no

un-

deci-ded


yes

no

un-

deci-ded


yes

no

un-

deci-ded

Bulgarian 99,5 0,5 0 Bulgarian 99,5 0,5 0 Bulgarian 100 0 0 Bulgarian 100 0 0

Armenian 30,7 38,4 28,7 Armenian 66,5 18,7 14,8 Armenian 84,2 6,8 9 Armenian 27,9 43,3 28,7

Greek 30,5 40,3 29,2 Greek 66,7 14,1 19,2 Greek 83,6 4,4 12,1 Jewish 23,8 45,9 30,3

Jewish 27,7 42,6 29,7 Jewish 59,7 16,4 23,8 Jewish 81 9,5 9,5 Greek 14,4 69,7 15,9

Turkish 10,8 75,1 14,1 Turkish 51 30,3 18,7 Turkish 71,8 15,6 12,6 Turkish 9 79,2 11,8

Roma 0 95,9 4,1 Roma 14,1 73,3 12,6 Roma 20 67,4 12,6 Roma 2,3 92,8 4,9


26

3.2. Wider participation of volunteers in cultural events

Indicator 24 Number of registered volunteers and days of volunteering

For the entire period of the initiative the number of registered volunteers exceeds 2000 people. The

number of active volunteers at any given time of the project year varies according to the number and

nature of current events – larger and more interesting events attract more interest. The active volunteers

at the end of the initiative are around 400 people.

The volunteers are mostly young people – over 60% are 14-24 years old. The share of women is slightly

higher. The attracted international; volunteers are over 100 people from 36 different countries

(international students in Bulgaria, fellows, participants in volunteering programs, etc.).

The main tool for volunteer work is the weekly meetings held every Thursday during the initiative year,

which makes more than 50 volunteer events based on the weekly meetings only. In addition,

presentations of the volunteer programme have been organized in schools and universities for the

purpose of recruiting volunteers, as well as specialized meetings with mentors for the preparation of

specific events activities and, last but not least, trainings and workshops to improve specific skills of the

volunteers.

The volunteers have supported the Foundation's activities as a whole, as well as various organizations

aspects of specific events – backstage, carrying out the poll among audiences for the purposes of the

monitoring, as well as specialized professional activities (photographers providing their own equipment,

capturing and editing video content, copywriting, software development, online marketing, professional

translation).

3.3. Quality of living

Indicator 26: Quality of life and happiness index

To measure how satisfied, respectively happy, Plovdiv citizens are, a five item scale, known as the

Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), has been used. SWLS was developed by prof. Edward F. “Ed” Diener,

professor of psychology at the University of Utah and the University of Virginia, as well as a senior scientist

for the Gallup Organization, nicknamed as “Dr. Happiness”. The scale has been used with success for over

30 years, one of its biggest merits being that it measures the overal life satisfaction rather than

momentary states of the mind or moods, making it a reliable and frequently implemented tool.

Respondents are offered a choice of 7 responses varying from “very strongly disagree” to “very strongly

agree” for five statements. The final sum of the selected values from 1 to 7 for the total of five statements

may vary between 5 and 35. Based on the this total result, 6 groups by level of satisfaction with life are

formed.

Group Total score

Extremely happy 32-35

Very happy 28-31

Happy 23-27

Not-so-happy 18-22

Unhappy 13-17

Depressed 12 or lower

27

According to the survey results, the Plovdiv population in general falls in the group of happy people and

this emerges as a lasting trend – the average score for the respondents is 25.23 for the basic measurement

and a very close total – 24.40 for the subsequent measurement, which according to the methodology

described falls into the category “happy”.

Results for the adult population of Plovdiv – baseline and 2019

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with each of the 5 statements: from 1 (very strongly disagree) to 7 (very strongly agree)

Average

(mean) 2017

Average (mean) 2019

In most ways my life is ideal 4,91 4,76

I am satisfied with my life 5,17 5,00

The conditions of my life are excellent 5,04 4,75

So far I have gotten the important things I want in life 5,29 5,20

If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing 4,82 4,69

Total score for the community of Plovdiv 25,23 24,40

Source: representative surveys among the adult population of Plovdiv

People attending cultural events in 2019 show a slightly higher score. This higher score is mainly due to

aspects where taking a "dose of culture" can have a greater impact – higher satisfaction overall, “I've got

the important things I want”, “I like my life and I wouldn't change it”. Naturally, culture cannot, to such

an extent, compensate for all other conditions in life, nor can it stop the pursuit of a higher ideal (data in

the table below). More measurements are needed, but the hypothesis that culture and cultural

involvement is a kind of 'dose of happiness' remains valid.

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with each of the 5 statements: from 1 (very strongly disagree) to 7 (very strongly agree)

Average (mean) –

People who have

visited cultural

events in 2019

Average (mean) – People who have not visited cultural events in 2019

In most ways my life is ideal 4,74 4,79

I am satisfied with my life 5,06 4,91

The conditions of my life are excellent 4,76 4,73

So far I have gotten the important things I want in life 5,33 5,02

If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing 4,85 4,47

Total score for the respective group 24,74

23,92


Indicator 27: Environmental appreciation

Environment and the state of environment is an integral part of the quality of life and overall life

satisfaction. The respondents have assessed the degree of importance and the degree of satisfaction with

regard to 6 sectors of the environment in the city: air, waters, waste, noise, conservation of nature sites

in the city, city green areas. Comparison with the baseline shows that deficits are increasing on almost all

6 aspects, except noise, for which an explanation may be sought in the process of completing the repairs

throughout the city. The highest deficit is observed with regard to air pollution, which is only natural in

28

view of the sensitivity on this topic of the general public both on local and national level. Increased

expectations can be clearly seen – the importance of each environmental area remains traditionally very

high – average scores above 6 with a maximum of 7, approaching 7 even more in 2019. These attitudes

show both increased expectations related to improving the situation and quality of life, and an objective

assessment of positive changes, where such are present.

Difference between the average degree of importance and the average degree of satisfaction for each

item. Values are negative when satisfaction is lower than importance (deficit); values are positive when

satisfaction is higher than importance (“I have more than I consider important”)


Baseline 2019

Importance

Satisfaction

Difference

Importance

Satisfaction

Difference

Air

6,3 3,46 -2,84 6,74 3,71 -3,04

Waters

6,28 4,10 -2,18 6,75 4,48 -2,27

Waste 6,00 3,79 -2,21 6,72 3,95 -2,76

Noise 5,94 3,52 -2,42 6,47 4,12 -2,35

Conservation of the nature sites in the city 6,15 4,42 -1,73

6,61 4,28 -2,33

City green areas 6,27 4,86 -1,41 6,59 4,52 -2,06


-2,06

-2,33

-2,35

-2,76

-2,27

-3,04

-2,47

-7 -5 -3 -1 1 3 5 7

City green areas

Conservation of the nature sites in the city

Noise

Waste

Waters

Air

Environment in general

29

4. Economic Impacts

4.1. Growth in tourism

Indicator 28: 20% increase in national and 30% increase in international visitors to Plovdiv

National visitors

With a target value of 34% (20% increase in 2019), the share of national visitors to Plovdiv from for 2019

has reached 39.3%.

Percentage of the adult population of the country who visited Plovdiv per year


Estimation of the total absolute number of visitors in Plovdiv (Bulgarian nationals) per year and

visitors whose main purpose of the visit was to attend a cultural event in 2019

Year % of the adult population of Bulgaria who visited Plovdiv

Extrapolation of the visitor flow based on

NSI data (as of 31.12.2018*)

2015 28,0 1 547 249

2016 31,4 1 735 129

2017 26,5 1 464 361

2018 33,2 1 834 595

2019 total visitors 39,3 2 171 675

2019 visited an ECoC event 22% 1 215 696

2019 visitors whose main purpose of the visit was to attend a cultural event

38,6% of all visitors 838 266

*The population of 18+ years as of 31.12.2018 total for the country is 5 810 294 people

The population 18+ years as of 31.12.2018 in Plovdiv is 284 403 people, i.e. the population of the country

without Plovdiv is 5 525 891 people

28,031,4

26,5

33,2

39,3

34 34 34 34

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019 2020

Visitors to Plovdiv Target Value

30

International visitors

For international visitors in Plovdiv, the most reliable source of data is the National Statistical Institute,

which allows for tracking the long-term trend. However, NSI tracks only accommodation facilities with 10

and above 10 beds, which, as a trend towards 2019, receive only about 1/3 of the visitor flow; therefore,

the reported number of international visitors is quite underestimated. The following has been established

for the period in question:

an increase of 27% compared to 2015 in facilities with 10+ beds only, which shows that the target

value is exceeded by adding the foreign visitors accommodated in smaller hotels, as well as in

private apartments rented via internet platforms, on which, however, more specific data is not

available;

also, according to NSI data, in 2019 additional 6786 international visitors stayed in 10+ beds

facilities in the neighboring Rhodopi municipality – e.g. in Markovo village. Those are also very

likely to be visitors to Plovdiv.

Visitors with overnight stay in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds in Plovdiv – foreign nationals

Year Visitors with overnight stay in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds in Plovdiv – foreign nationals

2015 95 284

2016 102 525

2017 115 458

2018 115 426

2019 121 478

Increase: 26 194 or 27%

Source: National Statistical Institute

Indicator 29: 6% yearly increase in overnight stays

According to NSI data, that is, only for accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, which tend to receive

about 1/3 of the visitors flow as of 2019, the following conclusions can be made:

overall, overnight stays have increased by 18% in 2019 compared to 2015;

for 2016 and 2017 each the increase is by more than 6% (12% for 2016 against 2015, and 7% for

2017 against 2016);

for 2018 and 2019 the increase in overnight stays is less than 6% on yearly basis.

There is an interesting trend in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds – while the average monthly

number of overnight stays is decreasing, the average monthly number of visitors, presented in Indicator

28, is increasing. This indicates an increase in the number of visitors at the expense of length of stay, which

is probably related to the profile of visitors preferring this type of accommodation.

31

Overnight stays in accommodation establishments with 10+ beds in Plovdiv

Year Number of overnights

2015 432 110

2016 483 762

2017 516 776

2018 499 426

2019 510 676

Increase over the entire period 78 566 or 18%


Indicator 30: Demographic profile: % breakdown of visitors from Bulgaria, the Balkans, the

EU, non-EU countries

According to NSI, that is, only for accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, which tend to receive about

1/3 of the visitors flow as of 2019, a steady upward trend has been observed over the period in the share

of international visitors from EU countries: from 48,630 (2015) to 69,997 in 2019 – or by 44%

Distribution of visitors by origin per year


58,4

55,5

55,2

62,0

60,7

6,4

7,1

7,5

8,0

8,2

24

26,8

25,9

20,2

20,0

11,3

10,6

11,5

9,8

11,0

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Bulgaria

The Balkans

EU

Other non EU

32

Visitors by country per year

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Bulgaria 147 406 167 379 161 180 162 975 170 624

The Balkans (non-EU) 19 863 21 703 21 399 19 469 18 560

Turkey 16 536 17 516 17 342 15 305 14 216

Macedonia 1 861 2 082 1 732 1 713 1 649

Serbia 1 466 1 566 1 614 1 819 2 105

Albania - 370 434 382 393

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 132 226 151 125

Montenegro - 37 51 99 72

EU total 48 630 54 485 64 750 69 016 69 997

Greece 8 561 11 482 11 074 11 456 10 062

Italy 6 158 6 023 8 037 7 329 6 936

Germany 5 582 6 165 6 679 7 395 9 213

France 5 374 5 648 6 560 7 235 7 409

United Kingdom 3 613 4 211 4 814 4 673 4 435

Romania 2 752 2 963 3 140 3 146 3 542

Spain 2 747 4 333 6 573 9 053 9 433

Austria 1 947 1 595 2 210 1 969 2 689

Poland 1 648 2 210 2 330 2 524 1 937

Belgium 1 594 1 760 2 354 2 151 2 255

Netherlands 1 552 1 265 2 137 2 165 1 677

Slovenia 896 754 785 1 236 658

Czech Republic 819 720 1 040 783 906

Croatia 809 395 586 1 586 1 741

Hungary 621 785 1 059 801 1 163

Sweden 566 674 617 750 702

Portugal 543 741 1 279 1 113 1 500

Finland 426 303 422 469 409

Cyprus 424 647 618 741 830

Estonia 400 105 375 265 268

Ireland 373 428 698 594 581

Denmark 370 395 473 454 568

Slovakia 279 323 282 294 420

Lithuania 211 149 242 329 181

Latvia 207 139 174 273 248

Malta 129 229 164 165 75

Luxembourg 29 43 28 67 159

Russian Federation 2 409 2 436 2 807 2 535 2 634

Other countries 26 791 26 337 26 502 24 178 30 287

Foreign visitors total 95284 121478

Increase foreign visitors 26 194 or 27%

GRAND TOTAL 242 690 269 904 276 638 278 173 292 102

Increase GRAND TOTAL 49 412 or 20%

33

Indicator 32: Increase in regional tourism

According to the NSI data, that is, only for accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, which tend to receive

about 1/3 of the visitors flow as of 2019, a steady upward trend has been observed over the period in:

the number of overnight stays – by 14.5%;

the number of visitors with overnight stays – by 15.3%.

Overnight stays and overnight visitors in accommodation facilities in South Central Region (without

Plovdiv)

Year Overnight stays in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds

Overnight visitors in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds

Length of stay in nights spent

2015 1 984 347 844 744 2,3

2016 2 199 457 942 544 2,3

2017 2 014 209 848 436 2,4

2018 2 144 746 906 123 2,4

2019 2 272 864 974 403 2,3

Increase 288 517 or 14,5% 129 659 or 15,3% unchanged


Indicator 33: New jobs created in the tourism sector

NSI data on the number of persons employed by tourism-related economic activities show the following:

an increase of 8% in economic activity “Accommodation and Food Service Activities” (NSI

classification of economic activities);

an increase of 4,15% in economic activity „Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles“ (NSI

classification of economic activities).

As of the date of completion of this final report, NSI data for 2019 are not available and will be ready by

October-November 2020 according to the NSI processing and publishing schedule.

Number of persons employed

Year “Accommodation and Food Service Activities”

„Trade…“

2015 7 646 30 646

2016 8 039 30 882

2017 8195 31 529

2018 8257 31 919

Increase over the period 611 or 8% 1273 or 4,15%

34

4.2. New business and employment opportunities

Indicator 34: Overall decrease in unemployment rates in the city to under 10%

The targeted decrease in unemployment rates to under 10% is the actual situation in Plovdiv over the

recent years, as the unemployment rate in Plovdiv is currently under 5%.

Indicator 35: Number of new businesses in the city

According to NSI data, the number of registered enterprises in the territory of Plovdiv for the period has:

increased by 8,5% in total;

increased by 25% in „Culture, sport and entertainment“ economic activity



Year Total number of businesses Number of businesses in „Culture, sport and

entertainment“ economic activity

2015 24 300 330

2016 25 184 353

2017 25 379 375

2018 26 360 414

Increase 2060 or 8,5% 84 or 25%


Indicator 36: Decrease in unemployment rates among vulnerable minorities to under 20%

In the surveyed households, unemployed persons over the age of 16 are 22%, with a small proportion of

them attending school, and after deducting their number, the unemployment rate is around 18%. The

share of households reporting income from unemployment benefits is only 8%, compared to 22% in the

first survey. Although the survey data on employment are declarations of the interviewees rather than

official employment status, it can be reasonably concluded that unemployment in the Roma community

may have decreased, but remains about 5 times higher than unemployment in the city in general.

Indicator 37: Increase in the number of small businesses operating in the Roma neighborhoods

The estimate of the number of companies providing various services and goods on the territory of the

neighborhood is indirect from the survey among Roma households and is based on their satisfaction with

the number of suppliers of goods and services.

Their estimation remains maintained over the years – in general, the number of suppliers of goods and

services such as food, household goods, cafes, dining places – is considered as rather sufficient by

significantly more than half of the respondents; slightly above 1/3 consider that there are sufficient

companies offering services/goods related to health, as well as hygiene and beauty. There is a deficiency

35

of providers in the fields of culture, entertainment and sports - more than 3/4 of respondents say their

numbers remain insufficient.

Do you think there are sufficient businesses in the neighborhood in the following areas:

Source: Survey among Roma households in Stolipinovo

4.3. Economic vibrancy of the cultural sector

Indicator 38: Increase in private sponsorship with 5%

The data on this topic have been collected through a survey among representatives of cultural institutions,

who provide a qualitative evaluation and allow for assessing the share of institutions that have received

private sponsorship. It should be noted that this survey represents a qualitative assessment and aims to

identify changes that should be verified by other data.

From the information collected, it can be concluded that private sponsorship varies significantly 1) over

the years of the ECоC project implementation and 2) by type of cultural institution; it is rather random

and no stable trend is generally observed from these data. In fact, all types of cultural institutions at some

point during the ECoC project implementation years reach and exceed the target value, but in some years

there is a decline – especially after a year of strong rise.

12

18,4

23,8

33,9

41,1

64,2

80,3

83,4

94,1

88

81,6

76,2

66,1

58,9

35,8

19,7

16,6

5,9

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Cultural services

Other entertainments

Sports services

Higiene and beauty goods

Health (medical and dentalservices)

Eating establishments/restaurants

Cafes, bars, other drinkingestablishments

Household goods

Foodstuffs

Rather sufficient Rather insuficient

36

Trends in the development of private sponsorship by type of institution (% respondents)

Have you received any private sponsorship in each of the following years, "Yes" responses

Indicator 39: Employment growth in the cultural sector to 5%

NSI data on the number of employed by sectors are structured according to the national Classification of

Economic Activities (CEA), where the cultural sector is covered by economic activity called “Culture, sports

and entertainment”. The data show that a 16% increase in employment has been reached compared to

the baseline value, which is well above the 5% target.



Year Number of persons employed Increase – planned 5%

2015 1569

2016 1649

2017 1753

2018 1821 Increase – achieved 16%

33,333,3

40

5047,4

63,2

36,8

42,9

66,766,7

100

75

31,337,5

100

16,7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Museum Gallery Theater Chitalishte Линейна (Target value - 46.2)

46, 2

37

III. Summary of the implementation of Plovdiv European Capital of Culture

2019 project – legacy and challenges

Cultural sector transformation

This area represents the highest and most significant achievements of the initiative, which can be

considered as a valuable legacy not only for the citizens of Plovdiv, but also for the citizens of the entire

country.

The main achievement is the significant increase in access to culture and in participation, which has

become a lasting trend since 2015. Cultural participation reaches well above the formally set objective to

score an increase compared to 2015. This has been achieved thanks to the number and diversity of cultural

activities, which is the main reason behind the variations in participation rates in the different years of

the project. The proportion of those who visit "relatively often cultural events in the settlement they live

in" has increased significantly – from 28% in 2017 to 40% in 2018 and 44% in 2019. This behavioral change

can be directly linked to the effects of implementing the initiative – a large number of cultural events with

high advertising, which increases the interest in visiting in general.

The envisaged 20% growth in cultural participation was reached in 2016 (52.7%) – with a base value

of 43% attending a cultural event in 2015, the target value is 51.6%.

Percentage of the adult Plovdiv population having attended at least one cultural-information event in

the city by year


The share of Plovdiv residents, stating that they "attend relatively often cultural events in the

settlement they live in" has increased significantly – from 28% in 2017 to 40% in 2018 and 44% in

2019.

43,1

52,7 54,4

73,8

59,1

51,6 51,6

51,6

51,6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2015 2016 2017* 2018 2019 2020

Cultural event Target value for cultural participation

38

The share of Plovdiv residents who spend money on culture increases from 50% (base value) to 58.3%

in 2019, and the average amount - from BGN 24 to BGN 27 per month.

60% of Plovdiv residents attended at least one cultural event in the city in 2019, up 8% from the

target (51.6%).

32% of the region's residents attended at least one cultural event in Plovdiv in 2019, the target value

being 30%.

22% of the country adult population attended at least one ECoC event in 2019 (19% an event in

Plovdiv and another 3% - an ECoC event in the region), which extrapolated to the number of adult

population of the country (excl. Plovdiv city), amounts to 1 215 696 people.

The goal for 50% of the audience to be satisfied with the cultural content has been exceeded – the

data from the poll among cultural event visitors show that 89% are satisfied. 50% of the audience

indicate strong satisfaction ("excellent").

More than 2/3 of the ECoC events in Plovdiv city and the region are with free entrance, which is more

than 5 times overachieved; events outside the city center have increased more than 10 times (10 in

2017 and 109 in 2019).

More than 130 are the direct partnerships with creative organizations and artists from Europe, with

which Plovdiv 2019 works to fulfill the criterion for a European dimension of the program – in 2019.

The number of public events with a cross-border dimension is 80, which is a fourfold increase

compared to 2017, thus the goal to increase that number compared to baseline being achieved.

The demographics of the events attendees show that a broad socio-demographic profile has been

maintained over the project implementation period - higher proportion of urban population, young

people up to 40 years, people with higher education, employed, visitors from Sofia, but also school

and university students, retired, unemployed, older people (over 60 years), rural population, people

from different ethnicities and gender.

Social impact. Identity and image.

The Plovdiv ECoC 2019 project has strongly helped to promote the image of Plovdiv as a cultural center

of national importance. For the period of the initiative, the positive trend regarding the reputation of

Plovdiv as a destination for cultural tourism among the Bulgarian public has been strongly confirmed:

there is a steady increase over the ECoC project period in the number of national visitors to

the city – from 28% to 39% in 2019;

The share of visitors indicating cultural events as the main reason for their visit to the city

has increased more than three times – from 10.7% in 2015 to 38.6% in 2019. This fact can

be considered as the most significant achievement of Plovdiv ECoC in 2019.

39

Share of the adult population of the country who visited the city of Plovdiv and share of those visitors

to the city with attending a cultural event as a main reason for the visit


Over the years of the initiative, the image of Plovdiv as the cultural capital of Bulgaria has

undergone a significant development – 51% of the respondents in 2019 agree with the

statement that Plovdiv is the cultural capital of Bulgaria, compared to a 40% share in 2017;

It is a persistent belief among the national public that every foreigner who has visited Bulgaria

should see Plovdiv (shared by slightly more than 2/3 of the respondents) and that every

Bulgarian should visit Plovdiv at least once in their lifetime (shared by 3/4 of the respondents).

Plovdiv‘s selection for European Capital of Culture for 2019 has the following impacts:

- positive associations for 72% of the city's residents – pride and prestige that the city has

become famous internationally, and recognized as a European center of culture, as well

as the rich cultural programme – increased number of interesting cultural events which

contributes to an increased quality of life;

- significant increase in the European self-esteem of Plovdiv citizens – in 2019 43.3%

already identify themselves as citizens of Europe to a "very high degree" and "high

degree", this share being 34.9% in 2017;

- increase in the sense of belonging to Europe – the proportion of those who have indicated

that their sense of belonging to Europe has increased in the context of Plovdiv being the

European Capital of Culture has increased by 10 percentage points to reach a share of

44%

10,715,1

19,5 23

38,6

28 31,4 26,533,2

39,3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Attending a cultural event/site is the main reason for the visit People who visited Plovdiv

40

There is a positive impact on the Roma community:

- the proportion of respondents from the Roma households who know about Plovdiv being

the European Capital of Culture, has increased from 45% to 65% in 2019 (for the entire

adult population of Plovdiv the correspondent share is 90%);

- The answers to the question “What does the selection of Plovdiv as European capital of

culture mean to you?” confirm the existence of a significant and stable group of almost

1/3 (28%), which demonstrates an explicit distancing and lack of interest towards the

initiative, which, clearly, makes it difficult to provoke their engagement. However, other

important information from the survey indicates that for almost 2/3 (62.7%), Plovdiv

ECoC has brought something positive for them or the city, and the negative associations

are below 1/10

- The created overall atmosphere of promoting cultural and educational values and

stimulates inclusion, promotes common values among different ethnicities in the city –

there is a very clear differentiation in the Roma community by level of awareness of the

ECoC. Individuals who know about ECoC demonstrate a much closer profile to that of the

general Plovdiv population. Therefore, the extensity of information and advertising on

culture is very important and is indeed a stimulus for attitude and, possibly, longer-term

behavioral change as well.

- To achieve a lasting positive change for the Roma community it is very important to

continue this information and advertising strategy after 2019, in order to take over the

legacy of what has been achieved and prolong the impact. The latter is also a sustainable

achievable action in the field of cultural management – more information on cultural

events, including for the Roma community.

Economic growth

Economic growth has been evaluated by 1) the growth in the cultural sector (number of enterprises,

employees, consumers); and 2) the growth in tourism and revenue from the visitor flow. The material

infrastructure should be also considered as a tangible asset, which permanently ensures the development

of cultural activities. The collected data for the period shows not only the fulfillment of the set goals, but

often also exceeding the planned target values:

Growth in the cultural sector

The “Culture, sports and entertainment” economic activity (NSI data on the number of employed by

sectors are structured according to the national Classification of Economic Activities) has shown quite

good between 2015 and 2019:

the number of enterprises increased by 25 percentage points, compared to 8.5 in other sectors;

the number of employed in the sector added some 16% (from 1569 in 2015 to 1821 in 2018);

Although indirect, the evaluation of representatives of cultural institutions of their visitor

flow/customers differs over the period for the different cultural institutions, but there is a dominant

tendency of growth to a different extent, or retaining customers. A decrease has been identified in

some years mainly for galleries.

41

Growth in tourism and income from tourist visitor flow

The following estimate is not exhaustive due to a lack of data on part of the visitor flow. The data below

refer to visitors from Bulgaria (adult population) based national representative surveys, and National

Statistical Institute (NSI) data on international visitors, which, however, cover only nights spent in

accommodation facilities with 10 or more beds. The latter, according to the survey among event

attendees, constitute only about 1/3 of the total number of overnights. The actual number also includes

other additional significant groups of visitors for which there are no statistics – 1) persons under 18 who

are not included in the general population surveys (data from the survey among attendees indicate these

are about 8-10%), as well as international visitors accommodated in the neighboring municipality of

Rhodopi and even a little farther away, who spend part of their budget in Plovdiv. In this sense, the

estimate presented is lower than the actual amount. The estimate of the absolute number of visitors from

Bulgaria is extrapolated on the basis of the population data of the country and the city of Plovdiv as of

31.12.2018. The number of international visitors was indirectly estimated based on NSI data and the

known structure of the accommodation.

Revenue figures are based on the declared budgets spent by cultural events attendees – average values

(mean).

Below is the structure of the accommodation (4 main segments) and the tendency of changing

preferences for staying in apartments hired via internet platforms, as well as staying at homes of relatives

and acquaintances – a total of about 2/3 of the visitor flow:

Structure of accommodation of visitors to cultural events with an overnight stay in Plovdiv

Source: surveys among event attendees

34,9

27,6

21,4

6

10

33,4

28,9

25,1

4,87,9

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Hotel/hostel inPlovdiv with 10+

beds

Apartment/Roomvia a platform onthe internet (less

than 10 beds)

At friends' orrelatives' place in

Plovdiv

In anothersettlement nearby,e.g. Markovo village

Other

2018 2019

42

With a set target of a 20% increase of the baseline, the target value requires a 34% share of the adult

country population to visit Plovdiv. Actual data show that the share of visitors to Plovdiv for 2019 reaches

39.6%.

Estimation of the total absolute number of visitors in Plovdiv (Bulgarian nationals) per year and

visitors whose main purpose of the visit was to attend a cultural event in 2019

Year % of the adult population of Bulgaria who visited Plovdiv

Extrapolation of the visitor flow based on

NSI data (as of 31.12.2018*)

2015 28,0 1 547 249

2016 31,4 1 735 129

2017 26,5 1 464 361

2018 33,2 1 834 595

2019 total visitors 39,3 2 171 675

2019 visited an ECoC event 22% 1 215 696

NSI data on accommodation facilities with 10+ beds alone, which tend to receive about 1/3 of the visitors

flow, show the following growth, thus the set target values being achieved and more:

Increase by 20% of all visitors.

Increase of 27% of international visitors; in addition, 6786 international visitors stayed in

accommodation facilities with 10+ beds in the Rhodopi municipality in 2019 (e.g. Markovo

village). The actual number of international visitors is at least twice as high, as, derived from the

structure/preferences for type of accommodation, at least the same number stayed in smaller

accommodation facilities.

Increase in overnight stays in Plovdiv by 18%

Increase of the number of visitors with overnight stays in the South Central Region by 15.3%.

Increase in overnight stays in the South Central Region by 14.5%.

Increase in the total number of registered enterprises by 8.5%.

Increase of employed persons in economic activity “Accommodation and Food Service Activities”

by 8% and in economic activity „Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles“ - by 4,15% (NSI

classification of economic activities).

Revenues from national visitors to an ECoC cultural event in the last two years alone (2018 and

2019), excluding the budget for tickets/entrance fees and transportation expenses, amount to

about 400 million BGN.

Revenues from Plovdiv residents who have attended cultural events over the last two years are

estimated at 27 639 828 BGN.

43

Estimated budget spent on attending a cultural event from Plovdiv ECoC 2019 for the last 2 years (for accommodation, food in restaurants, local transportation services, food from shops, other shopping, children’s attractions, other attractions (such as Aquapark, etc.), buying of souvenirs).

Year Share of 18+ population %

Estimation of the flow based on NSI

data as of 31.12.2018

Average expenditure

in BGN

Total revenue in BGN

2018 Plovdiv ECoC event visitors from the country

17% 987 750 201,38

198 913 095

2019 Plovdiv ECoC event visitors from the country

22% 1 215 696 174,75 212 442 876

TOTAL BGN 411 355 971

Revenues from overnights in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds in Plovdiv municipality

amount to almost 30 million and have increased by 9%

Revenues from accommodation in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds in Plovdiv municipality


26 478 742

28 222 304

28 787 404

25 000 000

25 500 000

26 000 000

26 500 000

27 000 000

27 500 000

28 000 000

28 500 000

29 000 000

2017 2018 2019

44

Estimation of revenue from international visitors

As noted, the lack of data on international visitors accommodated in facilities with less than 10 beds does

not allow for an accurate assessment of the flow. However, based on the available data, including the

structure of visitors' accommodation, two basic assumptions can be made:

1) international visitors in accommodation facilities with less than 10 beds (apartments, guesthouses,

small hotels, friends‘ places) are at least as many as those in accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, and

2) have spent at least as much as the national visitors during their stay (e.g. for 2019 – 174.75 BGN per

capita).

Thus is can be estimated that international visitors in 2019 have spent at least about 43 million BGN in

Plovdiv.

International

visitors in

accommodation

facilities with

10+beds, 2019, NSI

International visitors in

accommodation facilities

with less than 10 beds,

2019 (estimation based on

the visitor flow

accommodation structure)

Total visitors Budget spent in

situ = the

budget of a

national visitor

Total revenue

121 478 121 478

242 956

174,75 BGN

42 456 561

BGN

Challenges and recommendations

The feedback from cultural events attendees defines two major challenges:

1) Although the audiences’ satisfaction with the cultural content exceeds the set target goal, it can

be identified as a major challenge for the entire initiative, as well as for the years to come.

Achieving a satisfying balance of various cultural events and products – and for dynamically

changing audiences with diverse tastes, is and will remain a difficult task.

The optimal mix of events both for specialized/professional-focused audiences, and for larger

audiences and/or community based events, is likely to be discussed further. The cultural events

attendees’ evaluation is something that may prove useful to that end – what they would like to

see continued after the project has been completed.

According to your preferences and available information, what from Plovdiv - European Capital of

Culture 2019 you would like to see continued in the coming years? (open-ended question, single

answer, Plovdiv residents)

Какво да продължи %

The big number and frequency of cultural events in general, the intensity of the cultural life

23,3

The festivals and workshops in Kapana district 12,3

The outdoors free entrance events 9,2

NOSHT/The Night of Museums 8,7

45

The diversity of theatrical productions 6,3

The diversity of festivals 5,3

Opera Open 4,9

Visiting international artists and performers from all over the world 3,9

The Farmers’ Markets 2,9

The folklore concerts and festivals 2,5

The events in the Tobacco city 2,4

Ayliak Parade 1,9

Hills of Rock 1,9

The events at Lauta 1,5

The Festival of Lights 1,5

The events at the Ancient Theater 1,5

Archaeology for All 1,5

Puldin Ethno 1,0

“EUREKA! Travelling Exhibition” 1,0

The funding of culture projects 0,5

Plovdiv’s Choirs 0,5

The Verdi Concerts 0,5


2) The next major challenge is the organization of the events. Satisfaction with the organization of

the events is not low (over 50% are highly satisfied), but this score remains the lowest compared

to other aspects. This might find an understandable explanation in the large number of events

and organizers – projects of different creative groups have been funded and some of them may

not have as much organizational experience as others. Many recommendations from event

attendees are mainly aimed at organization aspects and have a concrete and practical applicability

in the future.

3) The levels of cultural participation achieved will be difficult to maintain with the reduced number

of cultural products/events/opportunities offered after the end of the project. Maintaining the

level of cultural participation at the target value (52%) beyond 2019 can be considered as a good

taking over of the ECoC legacy.

4) In the next years keeping the trend of about 1/3 of the city visitors to visit Plovdiv with the main

reason – attending a cultural event, will also represent an important utilization of ECoC legacy.

5) Maintaining a high intensity of information and advertising activities is a legacy of which Plovdiv

2019 must take care – to maintain what has been achieved and maximize the publicity of

forthcoming events and initiatives, thus maintaining an atmosphere of demand and consumption

of cultural products and values.

46

IV. Status by indicators

As an overall final evaluation of the implementation, each indicator has been labeled with a corresponding

implementation status label for the period of the project.

Implementation status label Description

Achieved Concrete target values set in the Bid Book or the baseline report have been achieved; or a definite improvement/increase compared to the baseline has neem registered.

Achieved, as a part of the general social context

There is improvement, but due to complex causes and the development of the overall social context

Borderline Close to the target value and/or a variable trend is observed

Borderline, as a part of the general social context

Close to the target value and/or a variable trend in dependence on the overall social context is observed

Indicator for monitoring with no specific target value

Specific attitudes are monitored describing the background atmosphere and general social context in which ECoC project has been implemented

Indicator

Implementation status

CULTURAL SECTOR TRANSFORMATION

Total number of ECoC events in 2019


601 individual events, including: 54 events outside Plovdiv, incl. cities in the South Central region (24), other cities in the country – Sofia, Varna, Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil (also 24), as well as abroad (6); 55 events for specific target or niche audience (such as master classes, workshops and seminars aimed at a narrow professional audience); 34 supporting/organizational events (meetings with international partners, press conferences, information days and presentations of calls for proposals, events for the volunteers)

50% of Plovdiv’s residents and 30% of regional ones attending ECoC events in 2019

Achieved

- 60% of Plovdiv‘s residents have attended at least one cultural event in the city in 2019 (with a base value of 43% in 2015)

- 32% of the region's residents have attended at least one cultural event in Plovdiv in 2019

20% increase in cultural participation between 2015 and 2021

Achieved

- A sustainable share of people with a deliberate commitment to culture and art has been achieved – over the monitored period not less than 49% of the adult population of Plovdiv state they are interested in culture and art;

- The share of Plovdiv residents who indicate that they spend money on monthly basis on cultural events and creative art products has increases from 50% (baseline) to 58.3% in 2019, and the average amount spent has increased from BGN 24 to 27 a month

- The target 20% increase in cultural participation has been permanently reached in 2016 (52,7%) and remains high in 2019

47

Indicator


(59,1%) – with a base value of 43% having attended any cultural event in 2015, the target value is 51.6%.

Audience satisfaction of cultural content

Achieved

The set target is 50% of the surveyed audiences to report satisfaction higher than average on a scale 1 to 5 (“poor” – “excellent”)

Over 50% indicate “strong satisfaction”, and overall including those indicating “moderate satisfaction”, the satisfaction level reaches 89%

Feedback on event organization

Achieved

Collecting of feedback information has been secured – for 2019 alone 3632 attendees of different cultural events have been surveyed.

Increased number of events out of the city center (incl. at the Chitalishta centres)

Achieved

109 events took place out of the city center in 2019 (against 10 in 2017).

The share of events out of the city center has been maintained at a level of about 1/5 of the events over the entire project period.

Demographics of event participation and increased access to new audiences


Information on the demographics of event participants have been secured.

The results show that the socio-demographic profile of event visitors from both groups – residents of Plovdiv ("internal visitors") and visitors to Plovdiv from other places in the country ("external visitors") – has remained broad:

- the profile shows some dominant groups, such as a higher proportion of the urban population, young people up to 40 years, people with higher education, employed, visitors from Sofia.

- however, there is a distinctive coverage of all other groups by the respective demographic – there are school and university students, retired, unemployed, older people (over 60 years), rural population, people from different ethnicities and gender.

Percentage of cultural events with free entrance allowing disadvantaged groups access

Achieved

Close to 2/3 of the events (61%) are with free entrance

Increased number of cultural events in the Roma neighborhood Stolipinovo

Achieved In 2019 61 individual events took place in the neighborhood, which is a six-fold increase compared to the baseline value in 2017.

Number of European cross-border co-productions, guest international artists, exported and imported productions

Achieved

In 2019, public events with a cross-border dimension totaled 80, representing a fourfold increase over 2017

Percentage of positive and negative reviews of ECoC artistic programme events

Achieved

67% of the interviewees in the event attendees survey answered to the question "Overall, what is your opinion about this event?", 98% selected "positive", thus the target for the indicator – the positive opinions to dominate over the negative ones – has been achieved.

48

Indicator


In addition, the analysis of the media coverage in the country for the period 2016-2019 shows that publications with a neutral and purely informative content predominate – the information press releases of the Foundation published without any evaluative additions and comments. One of the most covered events was the Opening Event – 1870 media publications. A more intense public discussion with different opinions took place with regard to the Opening Event, which provoked also a greater number of negative opinions.

Increase of visits to museums/galleries/concert halls

Achieved

The data for this indicator come from a survey among representatives of cultural institutions and represent an indirect qualitative assessment by the respondents on their respective institutions. The assessment of the visitors flows varies over the period for the different types of cultural institutions, but there is also a dominant trend towards increasing the flows to a different extent, or at least to retain it. A decrease has been identified in some years for galleries and “Chitalishta” centers.

IDENTITY AND IMAGE

National/international/social media attention, increased media coverage

Indicator for monitoring with no specific target value Plovdiv as the European Capital of Culture has been featured in over 14,850 internet publications, print publications are 2,177, and radio and television broadcasts – over 285. In 2019, the team disseminated information on nearly 600 projects/events/activities (40-60 per month). The distribution of publications for them in national and local media is respectively national – 1523 and local – 1857.

The national representative survey in 2019 shows an increase in the share of all information channels, which reflects the increase in the number of materials distributes as well as the media coverage: national televisions retain their leading role as a source of information on the topic, reaching up to ¾ of the respondents. The share of informing through friends and acquaintances has increased by over 15 percentage points – a trend registered in previous measurements, which indicates that the topic is entering the daily life of people's friendly circles. The share of internet-based sources of information and radio stations, both local and national, has also increased (between 10-15 percentage points). The billboards (providing information to ¼ of the respondents) retained a stable position, while printed materials increased by 5 to 8 percentage points.

Data on international coverage are not covered by this report and are available in another report by the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.

Development of Plovdiv’s cultural tourism reputation

Achieved

- There is a steady increase in the share of national visitors to the city by over 10 percentage points for the period – from 28% (baseline) to 39% in 2019.

- The share of visitors indicating cultural events as the main reason for their visit to the city has increased more than three times – from 10.7% in 2015 to 38.6% in 2019.

- Over the years of the initiative, the image of Plovdiv as the cultural capital of Bulgaria has undergone a significant development – 51%

49

Indicator


of the respondents in 2019 agree with the statement that Plovdiv is the cultural capital of Bulgaria, compared to a 40% share in 2017.

- It is a persistent belief among the national public that every foreigner who has visited Bulgaria should see Plovdiv (shared by slightly more than 2/3 of the respondents) and that every Bulgarian should visit Plovdiv at least once in their lifetime (shared by 3/4 of the respondents).

Increased references to Plovdiv as a city of culture in media and social media

Achieved Plovdiv ECoC 2019 Facebook page has 54,826 followers (as of 15.01.2020). Since the beginning of 2019, the number of followers has increased by over 13,000 users, 80% of the audience being from Bulgaria, and 20% from abroad, with the largest number of followers outside Bulgaria being from the UK, Germany and Italy. 515 FB events were created to reach more than 1 million users. The Instagram account has nearly 10,000 followers, with a total of 1,253 posts created, the # Plovdiv2019 hashtag was used 46,200 times by Instagram users. The total number of LinkedIn followers is 412, on Twitter – 3,129.

Plovdivians identifying with the city and feeling proud to live in it


- Almost 90% feel strongly connected to their city and would not want to leave it;

- 92% state that they are proud of Plovdiv and state a specific reason for this, with about 40% related to the history and culture of the city

- Plovdiv's selection for European Capital of Culture for 2019 provokes positive associations for 72% of the city's residents, mostly pride and prestige that the city has become famous internationally, and recognized as a European center of culture.

Sense of belonging to Europe among Plovdiv citizens

Achieved

- there is a significant increase in the Plovdiv citizens’ self-

identification as citizens of Europe – in 2019 43.3% already identify

themselves as citizens of Europe to a "very high degree" and "high

degree", this share being 34.9% in 2017;

- there is also an increase in the sense of belonging to Europe - the proportion of those who have indicated that their sense of belonging to Europe has increased in the context of Plovdiv being the European Capital of Culture has increased by 10% to reach 44%.

National awareness: Percentage recognition rate of ECoC, likelihood/desire to visit


- The recognition of the ECoC initiative is increasing and in 2019 the proportion of respondents who know that Plovdiv was selected to be European Capital of Culture for 2019 has reached 85% (baseline is 57% in 2017).

- Practically accomplished desire to visit – i.e. actual visit in 2019, has been indicated by 22% of the adult population – visited at least one ECoC event (19% - an ECoC event in Plovdiv city and 3% - an ECoC event in the region). This 22% extrapolated to the number of adult population of the country (Plovdiv city excluded) amounts to about 1 215 696 people.

-

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SOCIAL IMPACTS

Preventing the growth of school-age children from the Roma community in Stolipinovo neighborhood who do not attend school. Awareness, participation, satisfaction with the ECoC


- In 57% of households there are school-aged children (7-18 years), with 60% of them being 7-14 years old. Of these children, 12.0% had never gone to school and another 7.7% had dropped out in the last year, with the latter share being 12% at the start of the initiative. These data support the hypothesis that the proportion of school dropouts has not increased, and rather retained its levels in recent years, which is of course due to many reasons, mainly the official counter dropout measures. Of course, on a more general level, the overall atmosphere of promoting cultural and educational values promotes and also creates incentives for the continued education of Roma children.

- the proportion of respondents from the Roma households who know about Plovdiv being the European Capital of Culture, has increased from 45% to 65% in 2019. The level of awareness on ECoC indicates a very clear differentiation within the Roma community - Individuals who know about ECoC demonstrate a much closer profile to that of the general Plovdiv population.

- Respondents who declare any basic interest in the field of culture and art are 20% – an increase of 8% compared to the baseline situation.

- In 2019, 12% of the Stolipinovo Roma household members attended an ECoC cultural event – 4% an event held in the Stolipinovo itself, and another 8% – somewhere else in Plovdiv. The share of households that spend money on culture on monthly basis remains unchanged – 13%, the average amount spent being BGN 14. It can be assumed that the Roma community have mainly attended free entrance ECoC events in the city and in the neighborhood, which opportunity has also met with explicit approval in the above mentioned question of “what does ECoC mean to you”.

Increased level of tolerance and acceptance of vulnerable groups in society


The indicator, respectively the survey carried out, aims to reveal the background attitudes and atmosphere, in which the ECoC has taken place, and to provide data on the basic structure of acceptance of three disadvantaged groups – persons with physical disabilities, persons with mental disabilities and the Roma ethnic group:

- there is a stable structure of the attitudes to people from the respective groups, which remains unchanged for the period of the initiative. It confirms the marginalized position of the Roma ethnic group, which is in significant contrast with the attitude towards other ethnic groups.

Number of registered volunteers and days of volunteering


For the entire period of the initiative the number of registered volunteers exceeds 2000 people. The number of active volunteers at any given time of the project year varies according to the number and nature of current events – larger and more interesting events attract more interest. The active

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Indicator


volunteers at the end of the initiative are around 400 people. The attracted international volunteers are over 100 people from 36 different countries. Detailed data on the work and participation of volunteers are available in a separate report on the topic of the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.

Quality of life and happiness index


- The measurments made are based on the methodology developed by prof. Edward F. “Ed” Diener, professor of psychology at the University of Utah and the University of Virginia, as well as a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization, nicknamed as “Dr. Happiness”, and his colleagues. The scale has been used with success for over 30 years, one of its biggest merits being that it measures the overal life satisfaction, making it a reliable and frequently implemented tool. The result allowes for the positioning of a group in one of six degrees: depressed, unhappy, not-so-happy, happy, verry happy and extremely happy.

- According to the survey results, the Plovdiv population in general falls in the group of “happy” in both surveys (the average score for the respondents is 25.23 for the basic measurement and a very close total – 24.40 for the subsequent measurement.

- People attending cultural events in 2019 show a slightly higher score, mainly in aspects such as higher satisfaction overall, “I've got the important things I want”, “I like my life and I wouldn't change it”, on which culture can have a stronger impact. Naturally, culture cannot, to such an extent, compensate for all other conditions in life, but the hypothesis that the intensity of cultural participation is a kind of 'dose of happiness' remains valid - the establishment of lasting habits in the consumption of cultural products leads to a constant pursuit of more; it makes cultural aspects a sustainable element of everyday life and something without which it is not acceptable to carry on.

Environmental appreciation


- Environmental appreciation was measured by asking respondents to assess the degree of importance and the degree of satisfaction with regard to 6 sectors of the environment in the city: air, waters, waste, noise, conservation of nature sites in the city, city green areas.

- Increased expectations are clearly visible - the importance of each environmental area remains traditionally very high – average scores above 6 with a maximum of 7, approaching 7 even more in 2019. At the same time, the deficits associated with these increased expectations also remain high.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

20% increase in national and 30% increase in international visitors to Plovdiv

Achieved

- National visitors: with a target value of 34% (20% increase in 2019), the share of national visitors to Plovdiv from for 2019 has reached 39.3% - adult population alone; the profile of event attendees shows that about 10% are minors.

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Indicator


- International visitors: from NSI data on accommodation facilities with 10+ beds alone an increase of 27% has been registered. There is no data on international visitors in smaller hotels, as well as apartments hired via internet platforms. Given the trend toward 2019, facilities with 10+ beds to receive about 1/3 of the visitor flow, the target value has been reached and probably exceeded

- In addition, according to NSI data, in 2019 additional 6786 international visitors stayed in 10+ beds facilities in the neighboring Rhodopi municipality – e.g. in Markovo village.

6% yearly increase in overnight stays

Achieved

- overall for the period overnight stays have increased by 18%, but the increase by years is varied - for 2016 and 2017 each the increase is by more than 6% (12% for 2016 against 2015, and 7% for 2017 against 2016), and for 2018 and 2019 the increase in overnight stays is less than 6% on yearly basis. It should be noted that the above data are NSI data, that is, only for accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, therefore, taking into account overnights in other accommodations, the increase in overnights is generally much bigger.

Demographic profile: % breakdown of visitors from Bulgaria, the Balkans, the EU, non-EU countries


According to the NSI, that is, only for accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, a steady upward trend has been observed over the period in:

- the total number of international visitors – by 27%; - the share of international visitors from EU countries – by 44%.

Increase in regional tourism

Achieved According to the NSI data, that is, only for accommodation facilities with 10+ beds, which tend to receive about 1/3 of the visitors flow as of 2019, a steady upward trend has been observed over the period in:

- the number of overnight stays – by 14.5% - the number of visitors with overnight stays – by 15.3%

New jobs created in the tourism sector

Achieved

NSI data on the number of persons employed by tourism-related economic activities show the following:

- an increase of 8% in economic activity “Accommodation and Food Service Activities” (NSI classification of economic activities);

- an increase of 4,15% in economic activity „Trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles“ (NSI classification of economic activities).

(data for 2015-2018. NSI data for 2019 are not available and will be ready by October-November 2020 according to the NSI processing and publishing schedule).

Number of new businesses in the city


According to NSI data, the number of registered enterprises in the territory of Plovdiv for the period has:

- increased by 8,5% in total; - increased by 25% in „Culture, sport and entertainment“ economic

activity.

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Indicator


(data for 2015-2018. NSI data for 2019 are not available and will be ready by October-November 2020 according to the NSI processing and publishing schedule).

Decrease in unemployment rates among vulnerable minorities (Roma/Turkish) to under 20%

Achieved, as a part of the general social context - In the surveyed households, unemployed persons over the age of 16

are 22%, with a small proportion of them attending school, and after deducting their number, the unemployment rate is around 18%. The share of households reporting income from unemployment benefits is only 8%, compared to 22% in the first survey.

- Although the survey data on employment are declarations of the interviewees rather than official employment status, it can be reasonably concluded that unemployment in the Roma community may have decreased, but remains about 5 times higher than unemployment in the city in general.

Increase in the number of small businesses operating in the Roma neighborhoods

Borderline, as a part of the general social context The estimate of the number of companies providing various services and goods on the territory of the neighborhood is indirect from the survey among Roma households and is based on their satisfaction with the number of suppliers of goods and services.

- Their estimation remains maintained over the years – in general, the number of suppliers of goods and services such as food, household goods, cafes, dining places – is considered as rather sufficient by significantly more than half of the respondents; slightly above 1/3 consider that there are sufficient companies offering services/goods related to health, as well as hygiene and beauty. There is a deficiency of providers in the fields of culture, entertainment and sports - more than 3/4 of respondents say their numbers remain insufficient.

Increase in private sponsorship by 5%

Borderline From the information collected, it can be concluded that private sponsorship varies significantly 1) over the years of the ECоC project implementation and 2) by type of cultural institution; it is rather random and no stable trend is generally observed from these data. In fact, all types of cultural institutions at some point during the ECoC project implementation years reach and exceed the target value, but in some years there is a decline – especially after a year of strong rise. The sponsorship estimate does not include or refer to the process of sponsoring events and initiatives by the Plovdiv-ECoC 2019 project and or the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.

Employment growth in the cultural sector to 5%

Achieved NSI data on the number of employed by sectors are structured according to the national Classification of Economic Activities (CEA), where the cultural sector is covered by economic activity called “Culture, sports and entertainment”. The data show that a 16% increase in employment has been reached compared to the baseline value, which is well above the 5% target. (data for 2015-2018. NSI data for 2019 are not available and will be ready by October-November 2020 according to the NSI processing and publishing schedule).

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