Subscription-Based Services as a Tool for Attracting Digital Nomads: Opportunities for Bulgarian Hospitality Sector

In the context of dynamic socio-economic development, the hospitality industry faces the challenge of continuously improving its product by offering variety and quality at an affordable and competitive price. As an extension of loyalty programs, subscriptions are emerging, presenting a different type of “membership” and affiliation with a particular brand. In this way, the “loyalty–profitability” evolution accelerates, turning the topic of subscriptions in hospitality into a relevant and significant issue that lays the foundation for new trends in the tourism sector. So far, the topic has not been sufficiently examined in the scientific literature. The current study explores the conceptual characteristics of digital nomads, for whom such services could be suitable for conducting their “workations.” The characteristics of digital nomads were analyzed through descriptive analysis, and the prospects of attracting them through subscription memberships were evaluated by three hotel managers and derived in the study through the Delphi method. The main results show that, at this stage, the Bulgarian tourism industry perceives the service as a promising opportunity but remains skeptical about its application and profitability. This skepticism is attributed to the fact that this new trend is relatively unfamiliar in the country, and national standards still do not allow the introduction of revolutionary measures in hotel marketing strategies. In this sense, the present study can be considered a kind of innovation in hospitality science, outlining certain guidelines for implementing this trendy service in Bulgarian tourism practice.