The Magura cave in north-western Bulgaria: Exploring visitation and speleotourism potential

Speleotourism implies visiting caves and respecting geomorphological values. A visit to the caves must include certain rules of conduct and implementation of geoethical values to achieve sustainable speleotourism development. This paper investigates the tourist traffic of an authentic cave in northwestern Bulgaria, the Magura Cave, which is a speleological object with exceptional potential for the development of speleotourism. The explored cave includes unique examples of cave paintings and imposing historical values. The research methodology mainly included descriptive analysis of data obtained by the administrative staff of the Municipality of Belogradchik. The data of tourist visits are presented in tables and graphs. The research results indicate the current state and potential prospects for the development of speleotourism in the Magura Cave. Moreover, the paper presents measures for more effective development of speleotourism, which are of special importance for organizational and cave management structures