Milka Ivanova

Dr. Milka Ivanova is a Course Director in the School of Sports, in the Events, Tourism, and Hospitality subject area. Milka's research focuses on the Cold War heritage and Communist heritage in eastern Europe and their intersection with tourism.

Milka is a qualitative researcher and her work focuses on creative and innovative/ disruptive methodologies, authenticity, and visitor experiences at communist heritage sites in eastern and central Europe as well as Cold War tourism visitor experiences in the UK.

Milka’s research predominantly explores the relationship between tradition and modernity, particularly within the emerging identity of 'New Europe' countries. She examines how heritage, particularly dissonant and difficult heritage is represented and negotiated through tourism, focusing on the dynamics of traditionality versus transitionality. Her work has provided significant insights into how post-communist countries, such as Bulgaria, are portrayed in the tourism industry and the evolving role of cultural heritage in this process. Her current work focuses on Cold War heritage in the UK with the aim of deconstructing visitor experiences at Cold War sites via memory and nostalgia. Her most recent publications focus on the inclusion of communist heritage in the emerging representation of Eastern Europe through tourism and the rethinking of communist heritage tourism via the concept of the rhizome.