The European coal and salt industries may offer some lessons of how formerly vibrant regions (i.e. coal or salt mines) declined into decay managed to reinvigorate the region with tourism. Some examples are:

1. Coal mining communities were revived by turning coal mines into tourist attractions where education tours are organised to appreciate the culture and community life of the coal mines that have long faded into history.

2. Salt mines in Poland or eastern Europe show cased the artisanal talents of salt miners. In one of these sites, the salt mine cathedral become a tourist attraction. 

3. On a broader redevelopment, some sites and communities were transformed into service oriented industries. 

Clealry, not all communities managed to successfully make this transformation. It often takes local leadership and community actions, working with the national government agencies or private sector to achieve a successful transformation. 

Thank you for shared useful experience and opinion. Obviously to ensure the regional/ local survival local governments, businesses, universities and citizens have to be very creative and adaptive. We would take it into consideration.

Could I ask two more questions:

What could we do in the case of absence of clear integrated vision about national and regional value chains? What are the European countries practices?

What could be the regional/ city’s behavior faced to Fourth industrial revolution if people (potential entrepreneurs living in the city) and universities have not willingness or/ and potential to deal with sophisticated and high- technology business? What kind of strategy has to apply the region/ city?

Transforming a declining area is a recursive process. Often it takes a few rounds of iteration before the region or city finds its bearing. Some of these examples may teach us that there are a number of approaches that work, the common element appears to be a some leadership either from the private sector or local government who can champion the initiative in order to sustain the efforts to a level that it could be self sustaining:

1. Marbella was a fishing village with little other livelihood opportunities to offer. This changed when people started to discover the beauty of their beaches. Slowly, fishermen's villages attracted local tourism or holiday makers, taking advantage of the Spanish practice of taking July or August off for a family holiday in some areas outside their habitual residence. Eventually, the traffic grew - and that was the time the government got involved in promoting the place as a tourist destination. The rest is history - Marbella slowly became the playground of the rich and famous when local fairs became part of the summer society calendar.

2. Torreciudad near Barbastro in Spain was an abandoned Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary. A modern shrine was built that was used for pilgrimage and Catholic retreats and activities. People of all nationalities were drawn to the place. Eventually, summer homes were build around the area that created a thriving year round traffic of pilgrims, tourists, and family-oriented holiday makers.  

3. Marques de Riscal, a Spanish winemaker in Rioja, added a luxury hotel and restaurant in their vineyard. The place became a tourist destination, known for its high cuisine and pleasant retreat for a weekend for city folks. They now attract a global clientele, partly riding on the back of their known reputation for quality - in their wines, cuisine and service.

4. French vineyards and their peers in California enjoy a similar success. Moet and Chandon has become a venue for meetings and breaks from the city. The added revenue from tourism and events clearly made winemaking more financially sustainable.  

In the end, private initiative appears to have a better chance of sustaining their transformational efforts. What are critical are the presence of economic incentives (i.e. profits) and the people willing to take a plunge in implementing an idea. The latter may not be a natural trait among politicians, although some may be forward-looking. Government usually joins the bandwagon when initial success is proving the concept or initiative to have a chance at becoming financially self sustaining. 

Subsidies or reliance on government aid, are usually the first step down the slippery slope of failures. Ventures that become too dependent on government aid are more susceptible to the vagaries of politics. 

Trust this helps.

Thank you for useful advises and examples. Just in place.  

Subsidies and reliance on government/ EU aid are Bulgarian way of development at the moment.

I thought the politicians had to lead the changes and shape out the development of a country (because of the information and authorization availability).  In fact the reality is opposite- the society/ citizen is leader toward his own wellbeing /regional wellbeing. It was so obvious.

I keep the opportunity to rely on your further advises in accomplishing our project.