Milka Ivanova

Dr. Milka Ivanova is a Senior Lecturer and Course Director in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University, specializing in Events, Tourism, and Hospitality Management. Her research focuses on Cold War and communist heritage tourism, exploring visitor experiences through lenses of memory, nostalgia, and authenticity. She investigates how post-communist countries reinterpret difficult heritage through tourism, emphasizing sustainable practices. Current projects include Cold War tourism in the UK and the transformation of military sites into public spaces.

Research Interests:

• Creative methodologies in tourism studies
• Authenticity in heritage interpretation
• Cold War and communist heritage representation
• Dissonant heritage management
• Memory and collective identity in tourism

Selected Projects:

• Nostalgia and Cold War Tourism: Examines how personal/collective memories shape tourist experiences.
• Creative Methodologies in Tourism: Develops innovative approaches to understanding tourism dynamics.

Teaching:

• MSc International Hospitality Management
• BA (Hons) International Tourism Management