2. 1
Content Page:
1. Introduction
2. Global/MarketContext
2.1 Nature
2.2 Entertainment
2.3 Business Opportunities
3. Target Audience
3.1 Surveys
3.2 Day In Life
3.3 Social Media Reach
4. Campaign Overview
4.1 Tactics
4.2 Campaign Goals
5. Conclusion
3. 2
To Silistra
Designed for Students
1. Introduction.
In Eastern Europe, there is a relatively small country called ‘Bulgaria’. In the
northeastof Bulgaria is my hometown – Silistra. Having a distinctive nature,
combined with one of the longest rivers in Europe - The Danube, affordable
prices, and great history, the city is suitable for students wanting to explore a
new, reasonably priced and adventurous destination. Tourists visiting the
country usually overlook the town.
Visitors mostly prefer the seasidecities. In fact, a survey donein London shows
that 98% could name only either the capital (Sofia) or the two biggest seaside
cities (Varna and Burgas). Moreover, when searched in Google ‘Top 10 places
to visit in Bulgaria’, Silistra does not even make the list. The reason for that is
not that the city does not have all the necessary attributes to become a
successfultouristdestination, but simply there is not enough information
about it online.
For a successfultouristic destination, a city needs to have a good architecture –
unique appearance, overall visualpresentation, landmarks, and history. (What
makes a successfultouristdestination? 2015) Furthermore, Tourism
Excellence, have a checklist on their web page and one of the requirements is
‘the destination should have a clearly articulated and authentic image, with
tourismappeal’. (Destination Checklist, 2014) Silistra covers allthe
requirements and tourists would only benefit from visiting the city.
2. Global/Market Context
2.1 Town History
Silistra is a small city with big history. The 27.159km2 city was founded around
5000 BC, which makes it one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria and Europe.
(Borisov, 2017) Thefirsthabitats of the ancient city and its founders werethe
Thracians. A branch of this people was one of the primary three ethnic
ancestors of modern Bulgarians (the other two wereBulgar and Slavs) (Anon,
2017). In addition to the Thracians, Silistra was partof one of the most
4. 3
powerfulancient empires – The Roman Empire. After the Thracians settled, the
Romans attacked them and the empire took control over the land. Moreover,
there was born the legendary ‘Saviour of Rome ‘or also known as ‘The Last
Roman’ – Maximus. He was a Roman general and politician, who lived in Rome
between 280 and 203 BC. Fromthose two ancient civilizations, Silistra was left
with huge cultural richness. Oneof the landmarks from them is the ‘Roman
Tomb’. The landmark is known for its rich murals (geometric, animal and
human figures, hunting scenes manor couple and their servants) made
probably by the Egyptian or Syrian artist (Borisov, 2017). Another Roman
landmark is the ‘Dorustorum‘ fortressnextto the river. Both of the cultures
had a huge impact on shaping the modern Europe. Everyonewanting to
explore the history of Europe and someof its most influential habitats, Silistra
is a good place to start.
In more recent history, whileBulgaria was under the control of the Ottoman
Empire (1396 –1878 AC) Silistra managed to savesome of the architecture to
this date. The mostmagnificent piece of architecture available for tourists is
the ‘MedjidiTabia ‘fortress. Thefortis the best preserved of total six facilities
of Ottoman fortification system used during Crimean War (1853 - 1856) and
Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878).Thefortress has hexagon form and reaches 8m
in high. Itwas built in period 1841 - 1853 based on plans of the German
military engineer Helmuth von Moltke. The name of the fortress comefrom
the name of Sultan Abdul Medzhid who visited the facility in 1847. (Fortress,
2017) Moreover, theforthas underground tunnels, from which almost the
whole city is accessible, including an escape plan to the river. Mostof the
tunnels are closed to the public, but the path to the river is open for tourists.
Visitors can experience the same feeling of their predecessors as they walk
through the tunnels. Furthermore, around the fort, there is a small forest,
suitable for camping. There is also a fountain with drinking water available, for
tourists to stay hydrated during the hot summer days, as the temperature can
rise up to 40 degrees Celsius. The fountain has unique engraved symbols,
dating back when The Ottoman Empire was in those lands.
2.1 Nature
All thoselandmarks havegreat historic value not justfor the city or the
country, but also for the whole of Europe. Landmarks aside, Silistra won the
2010 European ‘EDEN’ award in the aquatic tourism category. On the official
web page of the award, it says, ‘Silistra captivates the senses with stunning
5. 4
natural scenery, pristine landscapes, and impressivestories. The best way to
see and appreciate this beauty is by taking a boat excursion along the Danube
River. During this trip, you will be able to appreciate the impressivepristine
nature, fishing villages and other attractions.’ (Growth, 2017) Further evidence
of the distinctive landscape of the town is the nature reserve‘Srebarna’. The
reserveis located justoutside of the town and is protected by UNESCO. ‘The
Srebarna Nature Reserveis a freshwater lake adjacentto the Danube and
extending over 600 ha. Itis the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds,
many of which arerare or endangered. Some 80 other bird refuge there every
winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican,
great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill.’
(Centre, 2017) Tourists can enjoy peacefulcountrysidetime and see
endangered species, which cannot be seen anywhereelse in the world.
Another place, wherevisitors can enjoy nature, is the central park, also
referred by locals as ‘The DanubeGarden’. It is located along the Danube
River. The park offers a great view of the river and a restaurantlocated just
next to the water. Italso contains the oldest tree in Bulgaria, The Old Oak,
planted in 1910. A review fromTripAdvisor described it as ‘A really excellent
park to relax and take in views of the mighty DanubeRiver’. (Tripadvisor.co.uk,
2017)
2.2 Entertainment
The city of Silistra offers a wide rangeof entertainments appropriate for the
diverse’ rangeof tourist’s tastes. For all the cultural explorers, the drama
theater ‘Sava Doproplodni’ is a great start. The theater has 4.4 out of 5 stars on
Google reviews. Itoffers diverseplays (e.g. comedies, drama, romantic etc.)
fromwhich the audience can get familiar with the culture of Bulgaria and the
city itself. Furthermore, in the same theater, there are also concerts. 35 years
ago, NASA sent Voyager 1 to space. The spaceship contained a golden record,
like a messagein a bottle, but for potential alien civilization. That ‘Golden
Record’ contained specifically picked music from all around the world,
including the Bulgarian song ‘Izlelye Delyo Haydutin’ by Valia Balkanska.
(Jpl.nasa.gov, 2017) Visiting someof the concerts in the drama theater would
give a chance for the vacationers to hear that unique Bulgarian sound. In
addition, ensemble ‘Dobrudja’ performs thereas well. The ensemble is famous
mostly in Northeastof Europe, taking parts of dancing festivals. The ensemble
‘Dobrudja’ willsuggesta unique perspectiveof the local culture to visitors via
traditional Bulgarian folklore dances.
6. 5
Another great experience for the tourists will be the celebration of ‘July
Morning’. That is an informalholiday celebrated only in Bulgaria, among all the
young generation. The celebration usually starts the night of the 30th
Juneand
continues until the sunriseof the 1st
of July. The occasion celebrates the
beginning of the summer holidays. The tradition involves partying the night of
the 30th
. When the sunriseis approaching, everyonegathers around the
coastline and watches the amazing sunriseaboveThe Danube. According to all
who have been there, the experience is unique and it is difficult to explain the
energy, but at the same time, the calm and the balance, which fill the soul, in
the moment when the sun appeared and the new day is born (01.07), 2017).
Furthermore, the nightlife offers a variety of great experience for the party
enthusiasts. The months between May and September, every week the clubs
offer a themed party, including some of the best DJ’s in Bulgaria. Additionally,
visitors can choose to visit local bars, with live music and experience party that
is more traditional. Moreover, for the car enthusiasts, justoutsidethe city,
there is an off-road racetrack, wherevisitors can test their driving skills and
race locals. However, for the more quiet type of tourists, the town has
excellent award-winning restaurants, with someoffering a great view of the
city or the river.
2.3 Business Opportunities
Establishing that Silistra, Bulgaria has the necessary attributes for a great
touristdestination, emphasizing on tourism will be a great business
opportunity. Itwill boost the local and national economy. Silistra, being located
to the border with Romania, it will actually help Romanian economy as well.
The reason for that is that the nearest airportto Silistra is the national airport
in Varna, Bulgaria. The Otopeni airportin Romania is within the same distance
to Silistra as the one in Varna. Romania and Bulgaria are both part of the EU
and crossing borders is nota problem for the Bulgarians. Moreover, the tickets
price to Otopeni is almost twice as cheaper than the tickets to Varna. When
visiting the Wizz Air airlines, tickets between London and Otopeni was 40 GBP
per person with departing date being 13th
of March 2017. For thesame date,
tickets between London and Varna, Bulgaria, were119.90 GBP per person.
(Wizzair.com, 2017) Oneof the passengers commented about the fact:
‘Itwas obvious that a large percentage of the people in the plane were
Bulgarians. I understand that thou becauseit is a lot cheaper’. (Plane Trip,
2017)
7. 6
Even though the town has big potential, still it does not receive the recognition
that it deserves. With the campaign ‘To Silistra’, all the information about the
city will be available and give the town is recognition. Furthermore, it will give
an excellent additional holiday destination for the UK students as it is cheap
(the exchange currency helps a lot) and provides a diverse rangeof activities.
3. Target Audience
Between 2014 and 2015, London higher education structure educated 376 600
students from the UK and overseas(Londonhigher.ac.uk,2017). As thenumber
of students in London, UK is so great, creating a campaign focusing on the
students who are between the ages 18 and 28 represents a big marketing
opportunity. Moreover, Silistra has all the necessary components for a
students’ holiday destination.
3.1 Surveys
In the survey completed in London, the participants were from three
universities: the University of West London, University of Greenwich, and
Westminster University. The age group of the 31 participants are a perfect
match with the campaign’s targetaudience: 93.55% of thestudents are age 18
to 24 and the restare 25 to 34 years old.
8. 7
As a holiday destination, Silistra is favorablein the summer. The survey shows
that 93.55% of the target audience is more likely to visit abroad during summer
9. 8
time.
Overall, the exchange rate between the Great British Pound (GBP) and
Bulgarian Lev (BGN) is in favour of the UK students. The current rate is 1GBP=
2.26 BGN (Xe.com, 2017). As itcan be seen in the diagram below, the finances
are very important for the students when they choosetheir location for
travels. Almost half of the participants in the survey selected ‘very important’
as an answer to the significanceof their holiday budget.
10. 9
London has a big diversity of people and the students studying in the capital of
England are fromall around the world (Londonhigher.ac.uk, 2017). Having that
in mind, different characteristics and preferences among the students is
unavoidable. However, Silistra offers all the three of the answer to its visitors;
most of the students ranked ‘party life’ as their number one preferencewhen
choosing a holiday destination. After “Party life”, “Romantic Getaway” is in
second place then “Historic places and knowledgeexpansion”. As mentioned
above, all of the preferences can be found in the unique opportunities that the
city provides.
11. 10
Statistics show that 3/5of the students prefer to visita new place for their
holiday.
3.2 Day in Life
A day in the life of all students is almostthe same. Following how they spent
their day, helps to identify the most suitable hours for advertising and reaching
the target audience. Hannah, a student in Bristol, shared her diary and brought
some clarity about a day in the life of a typical student. She wakes up around
seven in the morning and by 10 am; she walks to university. After attending
her morning classes she calls her friends and meet up for lunch. Some of her
male friends are joining later after gym. Then she attends her afternoon classes
and catches the university bus back to studentvillage whereshe lives or her
friend drives her with her car. After arriving at her flat shecatches up with
12. 11
friends back in someoneelse’s room and then goes to dinner around 6 pm still
with her friends. After dinner, if it is a weekday, shegoes to her room and
watches some TV or if it is a weekend, they go out to the local pub.
3.3 Social MediaReach
Nearly everyonein the UK between the ages of 16 and 24 uses social media on
a weekly basis, according to the most recent reportfrom Ofcom. Morethan six
in ten (64%) UK adults said they use socialmedia on a weekly basis in 2016.
Astonishingly, 99% of thosebetween 16-24 years usesocialmedia once a week
or more. The age group also spends the mosttime on social media, an average
of 2 hours 26 minutes a day – almost double the daily averagefor all adults (1
hour 16 minutes). Ofcomresearch showed also that Facebook is ‘by far the
most popular social platform’. (week, 2017)
4. Campaign Overview
The data results fromthe primary and secondary research explained above, it
clearly shows insights of the target audience. Based on those statistics, the
campaign is shaped to reach 18 to 28 years old. The goal is to usethe most
suitable media and provide the information in the mostsuitable hour to get
the bestof it. The potential customer’s attention span is very low, which is why
the campaign is trying so hard to focus on the besthour to advertiseand reach
the consumers. Moreover, to keep the attention of the viewers, it will be
organised a game. Each week, a clue will be released and whoever guesses the
city (Silistra, Bulgaria), will get two free tickets to the destination and be
offered a five-day stay there to have a great holiday.
The period between March and May is very stressfulfor the student, mostly
because the end of the teaching year is coming. With studying being almost
done, and exams coming, advertising at that time it is not a great idea.
Students are spending most of their time in the library studying and are not
responsiveto advertising. Which is why the campaign will start on Monday the
27th
of May 2017.
4.1 Tactics
Video: When creating a campaign targeting 18 to 28 years old students,
making a video content is essential. In fact watching short-form videos
on social media is growing fast. Compared to 2015, in 2016 there is the
growth of 63% for 18 – 24, and 69% for 25 to 34 years old (Melling,
13. 12
2016). Thefirstvideo will be uploaded on the 27th
of May 2017 on ‘The
Lad Bible’ Facebook and Twitter page. Even though Silistra will already
have socialmedia accounts, the game style of the campaign will not
allow using them until the destination is revealed. The Lad Bible, having
23 084 007 likes on Facebook, 1.95 million followers on Twitter and
averagevideo viewings of two million, will makethe perfect social media
provider (Facebook.com, 2017).
In the videos, the characters areall young and their choice of clothes, a
way of speaking and acting are all indicators of their personality.
Moreover, their expectations from a holiday are very different. Although
all of their vacation demands are related to the survey and are common
with the target audience’s demands. The campaign consists of four
videos, which will be spread within four weeks. Each of the videos
includes a clue about Silistra.
At the end of week 4, when the last video reveals the city, it will be
uploaded a promotion video of Silistra, to The Lad Bible and now to the
official Facebook and Twitter page of the city. The videos are made with
a senseof humour in order to catch the attention of the target audience
and make stick with them. Moreover, the first released videos will have
subtitles, because 90% of the videos watched through social media are
on mute (Milne, 2017).
Free Tickets: When the target audience consists of students, onething is
clear – mostof them are financially stretched (Acorn.caci.co.uk, 2017).
Which means when it comes time for a holiday, as shown on the survey
above, the budget is very important. Even though the advertised
destination is not expensive and the currency helps a lot, giving away
free stuff always helps to get student attention. In this case, a 5-day
holiday for two is a reasonableoffer. The winners will help to popularise
the city with mouth-to-mouth advertising. The gaming natureof the
campaign will help to raiseawareness among the students as well.
Slogans: After the name of the city is revealed, the socialmedia pages of
the city will be made public. The two main slogans that will appear
across all platforms are ‘Designed for Students’ and ‘Affordableand
Amazing’. They follow the basic, yet the very successfulruleof
copywriting – The Rule of Three. In addition, with the second slogan, all
the three words startwith the same letter, which creates a more
memorable pattern in consumer’s brain (Gettins, 2000).
14. 13
However, the firstslogan has a slightly different purpose. While the
second slogan advertises the city and the benefits of it, the firstone talks
directly to the target audience. Currently, most of the advertised holiday
destination are targeting different types of demographics e.g. rich
people, middle class, silver surfers etc. but none speak directly to
students, or at least not in a large scale. ‘Designed for Students’ shows
that, the campaign puts them one first place – not as a second
demographic target. Even though the USP of Silistra is that the city offers
all the three main demands of students for holiday – romance, party life,
and culture. That slogan works as a second USP that works morein the
background butwith a very important role. Originality is the most
identifiable characteristics of memorable ads, and those slogans are
exactly like that (Gettins, 2000).
TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor is oneof the most popular search engines
when it comes to holiday destinations. Which is why there will be a
banner placed there. They will include the second slogan say ‘To Silistra’.
Both of the writings will rotate in a GIF format.
Student Society: Mostof universities havea ‘Bulgarian Society. They
will be handing a special leaflet. It will explain the benefits of helping to
organisethe campaign. Societies consistof students from different
courses e.g. Advertising, Business Management, Accounting, Media etc.
The leaflet will explain that if a contribution is made by a student, they
will receive credits for their work and it will count as an industry
experience, as the work willgo public on an actual advertising campaign.
Itwill specify that in order for a student to contribute, there is no need
for him/her to be an Advertising student. For example, Business
Management students can help organisethe societies and the business
parts of the campaign, an accounting undergraduatecan assistthe
finance team etc. The goal will be, in each higher education institute in
London, to have one society that will help with the campaign.
Note: The societies will not necessarily be only Bulgarians. Itwill startwith
the universities that already havea Bulgarian society becauseit will be
easier, but it will expand to an Industry ExperienceSociety, where everyone
who wants, can join.
15. 14
The societies will also distribute two types of leaflets. First leaflets will be
the recruiting leaflets, for the student to join in and get experience. The
second type of leaflets will be the campaign ones. They will consistof
different pictures of Silistra, and mostly it will show the main three type of
activities that visitors can enjoy Romantic Side of the city, the cultural
experience, and the ‘Wicked Night Life’. Moreover, the participants of the
society will have a task to put the campaign posters on campus and in the
bus stops near the university.
Campaign Posters: Thecampaign poster will mainly be three types. The
firstone will be used in the underground. As theunderground is
student’s main transport, it will be an easy reach to the target audience.
The other posters will be placed on bus shelters next to university
campuses. The last poster’s placewill be inside the universities itself,
positioned there by the student societies. There will be a total of four
different pictures used across allplatforms, and the two slogans will
appear on all of them. Adding the use of the same font, it will bring a
senseof consistency and branding and will be easily remembered by the
target audience.
Facebook: Facebook will be the main social network of the campaign.
The page will consistof all the promotional videos of the campaign,
including the videos that featured in The Lad Bible. In addition, it will
have more pictures of the city, and reviews of people visited Silistra.
Twitter: Twitter will be the second mostimportant social page of the
campaign. The only reason that is second is the limitation of the words
that are allowed to usein a single tweet. However, the campaign
hashtag (#ToSilistra), it will be in huge assistance, in building a viral
content.
Snapchat: ‘Every day, 40 million people use Snapchatfilters’ (Valoti,
2017). When targeting a young audience, and with the statistics above, it
is only logical to use Snapchatas a part of the campaign. The filters will
help to raiseawareness among the young target audience and engage
with them in a fun way.
Radio: 15.6% of UK-based students respond to radio adverts
(Acorn.caci.co.uk, 2017). Thatis enough to create a radio advert
directing students. The radio ad will directly engage all the students.
Narrowing down the target audience and directly talking to them will
16. 15
make them feel more special and engaged with the advert they are
listening.
Surveys and Interview: Thedata from the primary and secondary
research helped get an important insightof the target audience. The
whole campaign is focusing on that information. This is why, when the
firstslogan reads ‘Designed for Student’, that is actually true.
Online Shop: Directly from the Facebook page of the city people will
have the option to buy T-shirts and Hoodies. They will be branded with
the city name and the national colours.
#SilistraLive: A month after the campaign launching, #SilistraLive will
launch as well. The purposeof that will be to keep the momentum and
show that Silistra is good not only on adverts. The firstperson that will
make a live video on Facebook and use the hashtag will be the two
winners of The Lad Bible contest. After that, the actors that were part of
the video will make live videos directly from the city. Itwill encourage
the visitors makelive videos and post them on their socialmedia
accounts. In addition, the admins of The Lad Bible will be invited to visit
the city and create a live video. Itwill increaseeven more the popularity
of Silistra, make #SilistraLive, and encourage morepeople to do it.
4.2 Campaign Goals
The main goal of the campaign is to offer students new, a holiday
destination that they can enjoy at a reasonableprice. The mainstream
holiday destinations are expensive and Silistra is a good alternative.
Moreover, the promotion will give the recognition that the city deserves. As
detailed above, Silistra has all the features to be the number one student
destination.
The short-termgoal is, by the summer of 2018, to haveat least one Student
Engagement Team (Society) in every London University. If all thosesocieties
are successful, by 2018 itshould be no problem at least 80% of the
universities to have one group of students (5-7 people), that have planned
to visit Silistra.
The long-term goals of the campaign are to grow societies all around The
UK and realistically in 10 -15 years, every big university in the UK should
have one society that advertises Silistra. Moreover, the tourism in Silistra
should increase greatly and receive world recognition.
17. 16
5. Conclusion
Silistra is a great city with big potential. The town has a very rich history
that spreads through ancient times. Being captured by great empires, and
survives greatwars, gives a special character to the city. The distinctive
nature in the central city and the suburbs, combined with the warm
summer sun, makes the visitor feel the soul of the city. The ‘To Silistra’
campaign will not only bring Silistra to the world stage, but also will create a
place where students can enjoy whatever they feel like want to do, and it
will be within their budget. Itwill be a win – win situation for both the city
and the students, which is why the campaign is bound to a success.
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Appendix 1:
InterviewTranscript: In Bulgarian
YB: Yalchan Beydzhete.g. The Interviewer
TB: Todor Borisov e.g. The Interviewee
YB: Добърден. Казвам се ЯлчънБейджет.Можете ли да се представите?
TB: Да, Аз съм ПрофесорТодор Борисов и съм преподавател поисторияи цивилизацияв
икономическияуниверситетАтанасБуров.
YB: Предстоящотоинтервюще е с академичнацел и ще бъде представенона‘Universityof
WestLondon’, каточаст от дипломнатами работа.Давате ли съгласие да използвамвашето
име и цитираминформациятапредставенаотвас?
TB: Да, давам съгласие да бъде записано интервютоиправотода ме цитирате с цел
завършване на академичнияви репорт.
YB: Може ли да разкажете за историятана Силистра - кога е основан,първизаселници и в
прочие ?
20. 19
TB: Древнатаисторияна града се простирана 5000 години ПредиХриста, когатое и неговото
основание от траките.Следтоваградът е превзетот Римската Империя.Туке роден
СпасителятнаРим, още наричан ПоследниятРимлянин. Иметомубеше Максимус.Той е бил
римскиятгенерал и политик, койтое живял в Рим между280 и 203 г. пр.н.е. Следкатое
превзетотимперията,градъте бил популяренкатомитиченгради прекръстеннаДорусторум.
Именнои отРимската империяидват така известните навсички Римска Гробница и Ринмските
Разкопки.
YB: Разкажете малкоповече за наследствотоостаналооттезицивилизации?
TB: Едно отнай-известните иемблематичнитворениянаантичнатацивилизациясе намира
край Силистра.Това е Римската Гробница,със невероятните истенописи.Нямаучебникили
книга за града, в койтода не присаства гробницатакато обект.Зарадивлагата,през повечето
време гробницатае затвореназа туристи,нопрез сухиясезон ( лятото),посещениятасапо
вероятни.
YB: Силистра,същто така е известна сас невероятнатасикрепост.Разкажете нималкоповече
какво правитази крепостуникална?
TB: Крепосттае построенапрезсредатана 19ти век.През 1847г. е посетенаотСултанАбдул
Меджид и следователное нареченананеговотоиме – Меджиди Табия. За строежаи са били
събрани около300 българи.Тя е от единствените породаси крепостивсветовенмащаб. По
време на Кримскатавойна, тя издаржала едномесечнаРускаобсада.
Крепостаима подземнитунеликоитосе простиратиз целияград, вклучителнотунел който
излизал директнодорека Дунав,и е служил катопланза бягство. Повецхетооттунелите са
забранениза туристи,новапрекитова част от тях са отворени запубличнипосесщения.
YB: Разкажете други интереснифактис коитоград Силистраможе да е интересен?
TB: Градът е бил повече отпетвекапод Османско Иго.Освободене от Рускатаармия през
1877г. и е отстъпеннаБългария.Същто така,след Османскотоосвобождение,Силистрае била
половинвекпод Румансковладичество,каточаст от Добруджанскиякрай.Градът е областен
центърсъс 19 общини. Покрайграда, преминаваи една от най-големите рекивЕвропа– река
Дунав.Силистра,пополоще малка,с население не повече от40 000 души.Също така покрай
града, се намира и резерватаСребарна,койтосадържадоста изчезналиживотниски и
растителнивидове.Резерватъте признатотUNESCOи определеносиструвапосещението.
YB: Благодаря ви за товаинтервю,ПрофесорБорисов.
TB: Моля, пожелавамви късметсъс проектави.
InterviewTranscript: English Translation
YB: Yalchan Beydzhete.g. The Interviewer
TB: Todor Borisov e.g. The Interviewee
21. 20
YB: Good afternoon.Myname is YalchanBeydzhet.Canyouplease introduce yourself?
TB: Yes, I am ProfessorTodorBorisovandI am a professorof historyandcivilizationatthe University
of Economics ‘AtanasBurov’.
YB: The forthcominginterviewwillbe withusedforacademicpurposesonlyandwill be presentedto
the 'Universityof WestLondon',as part of mymajor project.Doyou consenttouse your name and
quote informationsubmittedbyyou?
TB: Yes, I give consenttobe recorded andthe rightto quote me inorder to complete youracademic
Report.
YB: Can you tell usaboutthe historyof Silistra - whenitwas founded,the firstsettlersandsoon?
TB: The ancienthistoryof the cityextendsto5000 BC whenitwas foundedbythe Thracians.Then
the city wasconqueredbythe RomanEmpire.Here was bornthe Saviourof Rome,alsocalledLastof
the Romans. His name wasMaximus. He wasa Romangeneral andpolitician,who livedinRome
between280 and203 BC. Afterbeingconqueredbythe empire,the citywasknownasa mythical
cityand renamedDorustorum. Fromthemcomesthe famousRomanThombsand RomanRuins,
knownwell tothe locals.
YB: Can you tell usa bitmore aboutthe legacyleftbythese civilizations?
TB: One of the most famousandiconiccreationsof ancientcivilizationis locatednearSilistra.Thisis
The Roman tomb withits amazingmurals. There isnotextbookora book aboutthe city,where this
landmark isnot mentioned. Because of moisture,mostof the time the tombis closedtotourists,but
duringthe dry season(summer),visitsare possible.
YB: Silistra,is alsoknownforitsamazingfortress.Tell usa little more about whatmakesthisunique
fortress.
TB: The fortresswasbuiltinthe mid-19thcentury.In1847. It was visitedbySultanAbdul Medzhid
and therefore bearshisname - Medjidi Tabia.Forthe construction,about300 Bulgarians neededto
participate.The wayitwas structured,makesthe fortone of a kindinthe world.Duringthe Crimean
War, managedto holda month-longRussiansiege.
Fortresshas undergroundtunnelsthat stretchacrossthe city,includinga tunnel thatgoesdirectlyto
the Danube,andhas servedasan escape plan.Most of the tunnelsare forbiddenfortourists,but,
some of themare opento the publicvisitation.
YB: Can you tell otherinterestingfactsthatmake Silistraaninterestingplace?
TB: The citywas more than five centuriesunderthe Ottomanrule.The Russian armyreleaseditin
1877. and wascededto Bulgaria.Inaddition, afterthe Ottomanliberation,Silistra,asa part of
Dobrudzha, hasbeenhalf a centuryunderthe rule of the Romanians.The cityisa regional centre
with19 municipalities.Alongthe town runsone of the largestriversinEurope - Danube.Silistra, is
small,withapopulationof nomore than 40 000 people.Alsoalongthe townislocatedSrebarna
reserve,whichencapsulatesquite endangeredanimalandplantspecies.The reserve isrecognized
by UNESCOand is definitelyworthavisit.
YB: Thank youfor thisinterview,ProfessorBorisov.
TB: You are welcome,andIwishyouluckwithyour project.
22. 21
Appendix 2:
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
RISK ASSESSMENT FORM
Form A
For all undergraduate Dissertations and Research Projects
Please fill in this form, then SAVE IT AS A PDF and submit as instructed by your
supervisor with your project proposal
Your name: (first) …Yalchan…… (last) ……Beydzhet…………
Student number: 21257724 Your email address: 21257724@student.uwl.ac.uk
23. 22
PROJECT DESCRIPTON
Please answer the following questions:
1. Do you intend to involve human participants in the conduct of your research?
If no, please skip questions 2 & 3.
X Yes ☐No
2. Does your research involve vulnerable adults or under-18s?
☐ Yes X No
3. Could your research potentiallyexpose you, anyone assisting you, or
participants to emotional harm?
☐ Yes X No
4. Will your research involve travelling to geo-politically unstable
regions/countries (e.g. areas affected by war, civil unrest, natural disasters, or
listed as unadvisable to travel by the UK government?
☐ Yes X No
5. Will your research involve access to security-sensitive material? If yes, you
must include a data management statement.
☐ Yes X No
This proposal must be completed with the assistance of your supervisor. You
can change the size of the boxes (below) by typing or deleting as necessary.
It is very important to convey with clarity:
• Your research questions/the problem/the theme or topic you are investigating
(what you are proposing to do and to find out or to create)
• The methodology or technical approach (for projects comprising in whole or
in part the creation of an artefact) you will adopt – methods, number of
participants, who the participants (if any) will be, survey instruments used
technology and equipment employed etc.; and what questions you are
planning to ask your respondents (if applicable); how you will deal with
technical challenges.
24. 23
Title of project: To Silistra
____________________________________________________________________________
Name of researcher(s)
Yalchan Beydzhet____________________________________Email:__________21257724@student.uwl.ac.uk
Name of supervisor __Kristin Brewe__________________________Date:____30/03/2017_______________
WHERE APPROPRIATE TO YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC/RESEARCH: YES NO N/A
1 Will you describein writingthe main procedures to participants in advance,so that
they are informed about what to expect? A copy of this must be attached to this
application
X
2 Will you tell participants thattheir participation is voluntary? X
3 Will you obtain written consent for participation and includewithin this thatthey have
a right to withdraw at any point? A copy of this must be attached to this application
X
4 If the research is observational,will you ask participants for their consent to being
observed?
X
5 With questionnaires,will you giveparticipantsthe option of omitting questions they do
not want to answer?
X
6 Will you tell participants thattheir data will be treated with full confidentiality and that,
if published,itwill notbe identifiableas theirs? This should beevidenced in the
consent form and with a signed copy of UWL’s data management form, attached to this
application.
X
7 Will you debrief participants atthe end of their participation (i.e.give them a brief
explanation of the study)? A copy of this must be attached to this application
X
If you have ticked No to any of Q1-7, but have ticked box A overleaf, pleasegive an explanation on a separate
sheet.
[Note: N/A = not applicable]
YES NO N/A
8 Will your projectinvolvedeliberately misleadingparticipants in any way? X
9 Is there any realistic risk of any participants experiencingeither physical or
psychological distressor discomfort? If Yes,give details on a separatesheet and state
what you will tell them to do if they should experience any problems (e.g. who they
can contact for help).
X
25. 24
If you have ticked Yes to 8 or 9, you should normally tickbox B overleaf; if not, pleasegive a full explanation
on a separate sheet
YES NO N/A
10 Does your project involvework with animals? If yes,please tick box B overleaf. X
11 Do participants fall into any of the
followingvulnerablegroups? If they do,
pleaseand tick box B overleaf.
Note that you may also need to obtain
satisfactory DBS clearance (or
equivalent for overseas students).
Schoolchildren (under 18 years of age) X
People with learningor communication
difficulties
X
Patients X
People in custody X
People engaged in illegal activities (e.g.
drug-taking)
X
Any other groups who could be
reasonably argued as representingany
form of vulnerability –pleasespecify
X
12 Will you be accessingmaterialswhich may be considered security-sensitiveunder
the Counter TerrorismAct (2015)?
X
There is an obligation on the researcher to bring to the attention of the School Ethics Panel
any issues with ethical implications not clearly covered by the above checklist.
PLEASE TICK EITHER BOX A OR BOX B BELOW AND PROVIDE THE DETAILS REQUIRED IN SUPPORT OF YOUR
APPLICATION. THEN SIGN THE FORM.
Please tick
A. I consider that this project has no significantethical implications to be brought before the School
Ethics Panel.
X
B. I consider that this project may have ethical implicationsthatshould be brought before the School
Ethics Panel,and/or itwill becarried out with children or other vulnerablepopulations.
I have received guidanceon ethical research practices relevantto my subjectas partof my preparation for this
module.
Signed _________YB_________ PrintName ______Yalchan Beydzhet________ Date 30/03/2017
(UG Researcher(s))
