If you ask Bulgarian museums, very few of them will tell you they are doing heritage interpretation. They will tell you they apply different tools of informal education, arts and creativity, interactive pedagogy and innovative design. And then they will invite you to their Children’s Corner for a feel of prehistory; or to their Summer Schools of arts and crafts, their festivals of ancient life and their temporary exhibitions of the times when the Bulgarian capital was bombed during WWII. Is this an interpretation of our heritage? Let’s see…

Simana  Markovska has 25-years’ experience in the NGO sector, working for the sustainable development of local communities through tourism. She does a lot of freelance consulting and training in the fields of sustainable tourism, environmental education, strategic planning and project management. She is also a licensed tour guide and travel agent; as well as a passionate traveler, blogger and travel journalist. Heritage interpretation has been a passion of hers since 1996 when she came across Sam Ham’s Practical Guide for People with Big ideas and Small Budgets. That is why her PhD theme is also dedicated to this – s HI the best strategy for placing museums in their rightful status as modern tourist sites? She’s sharing with us some of her findings made in the course of her PhD research.