News

  The mayor of Smolyan and the investor Kiril Asenov signed the contract for the realization of Sports-and-Tourist Center “Perelik”. The team is already working on the project. After we obtain the construction permits and once we are synchronized with the municipality, we could start the first stage by the end of April this year, or in the beginning of May at the latest, said engineer Kiril Asenov.

  Since the project is very dynamic, the investments for the implementation will most likely exceed the estimated 200 million euro, predicts Kiril Asenov. The project will be realized through 5 project companies with the joint participation of the Municipality and the Investor. The Municipality will participate in the companies mainly with bringing in the ownership right and other real rights over the properties falling into the scope of the project. The Municipality will participate in the capital with 5 to 25% plus 1 share.

  The purpose of the first company will be the construction and exploitation of the infrastructure of Sports-and-Tourist Center “Perelik”. The management of the real properties included in the territory of the project to be performed by the second project company. The third company will be in charge of the construction and exploitation of a golf playground on the territory of the project as well as on neighboring properties. The fourth company will take care of the general development of the project, while the fifth will be responsible for the acquisition and management of real properties owned by the municipality and located on the project’s territory.

   Bulgaria is bracing itself for a 10% rise in foreign tourists during 2007 as a total of 5.6 million are expected to visit. Joining the EU increases the visibility of a country as a tourist destination. In fact, even while Romania prepared for EU entry in December, the positive effects were apparent as tourism was up 20% whilst Bulgaria boosted tourism in 2006, earning the record breaking amount of nearly €1billion.

  This has even prompted directline-holidays.co.uk to hire travel consultants with unique knowledge of Eastern Europe in order to deal with specific Balkans holiday enquiries. The increase, according to directline-holidays Sales Manager Alex Pilkington, points to a bright future for tourism in the Balkans. “Eastern Europe tourism in general, particularly in the Balkans, has been gaining popularity – and represents great value-for-money when compared to its western European counterparts”.

  The fast rate of increasing of the foreign investments in the last years will be a fact in the year 2007 as well. Some of the main reasons for that are surely the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union, as well as our country’s opening towards new entrepreneurs.

  Those of them that are aimed at the construction of industrial rooms or logistics centers are mostly in search of lots, which are situated in the vicinity of big infrastructure sites, such as airports and first class roads.

  Usually, in case that a room (either a warehouse, or a production hall) is situated in the vicinity of good infrastructure, the transport expenses are considerably lower. Having in mind the comparatively cheap labour in our country, that plan turns out to be extremely profitable to the foreign entrepreneurs, say analysers.

  The market of lots that are situated in the vicinity of big infrastructure site is still best developed in the capital. But, gradually, other big cities turn out to be attractive in this respect as well.

  The zone around Sofia Airport, which has been repulsively neglected for years, and even made the ex Prime Minister Simeon Sax-Coburg Gotha rather unpleased, is already turning into a new luxurious business zone. Hundreds of million Euros have already been invested, or are expected to be invested in it.

  After the construction of the new terminal and the impressive building of the Air Traffic Services Authority of the Republic of Bulgaria, the metro is expected to reach this place in the coming years. New boulevards will ensure easy access. The construction of a railway road in the zone is also being discussed. Thus, the region has turned into the most attractive one for the construction of logistics, warehouse and industrial sites. Leading European and Bulgarian companies compete themselves for the construction of offices and warehouses there.

  On a distance of nearly 300 meters from the airport, “Sofia Airport Center” is to be constructed. That will be a big complex with business buildings, warehouses and logistics areas of nearly 115 thousand square meters. There will also be a hotel with 250 rooms and conference halls there. The investor is “Tishman International”, and the envisaged investment amounts to 200 million Euros. “Oyroshped” will build a logistics center in the vicinity of the airport as well. The company’s business is shipping activity and international transport services. There will be warehouses and offices in the building. Part of the areas is envisaged to be rented out. The center will be built on area of 22 decares. The construction is to be completed in July.

  In the near past, this ancient, quiet, rather undistinguishable resort town was familiar to the Russians only because of the Bulgarian toothpaste “Pomorin”. Some of them used to associate the town’s name with one of the most designated trademarks of brandy in the former Soviet Union: the Bulgarian “Pliska” and “Slanchev Briag”. At that time, neither the Russians, nor the Bulgarians, have imagined that, in the beginning of XXI century, Pomorie would turn into a luxurious place for rest, and would be one of the best seaside balneological resorts in Bulgaria. The 100 years old Pomorie comprises two parts – the old part of the town is situated on a peninsula that could be reached by just one narrow road. That distinguishable town with history is densely built-up, with narrow winding streets – expressive, and even eclectic (the native guides usually talk with pride about the several buildings built in style “Modern”). The new town is situated on the continental part, and according to the guides, it is not less attractive than the old town. It has its places of interest, rectangular quarters, with lots of tiny hotels with luxurious rooms, and the new buildings are really impressive with the individuality of their designs.

  Pomorie is a balanced and quiet resort. It does not impose its places of interest on its guests, although some interesting architectural monuments could be seen there, such as the active monastery “St. George”, which has been built on the seaside and has preserved its appearance of the year 1856, or the little church “Preobrazhenie Hristovo”, the construction of which dates back to the year 1764; the quite interesting Thracian tomb-mausoleum, situated on several kilometers south of the town, in the location “Kuhata”. When you enter it, you pass a 22 meter-long corridor and reach a room, which has served the Thracians as a tomb, and the Romans – as a mausoleum.

  The first contemporary balneological public health station was built here in the year 1902, and nowadays, on the Pomorie lake’s shore, there are a contemporary balneological center with a resort polyclinic, departments for mud-cure, water-cure, physiotherapy and curative gymnastics, a medical boarding-house and a sanatorium.

  Tourists do not have to comply with any imposed modes of rest in the town. The guests of Pomorie have the possibility of either choosing the beach, or taking pleasure in a new kind of tourism – the wine one (sometimes, after visiting wine-cellars and testing wines, the excursions end with a lunch or dinner with folklore programme), or take care of their health due to the centuries-old balneological experience of the region.

  All that could explain why the population of Pomorie, which numbered to 14 000, is rapidly growing during the recent years. The place is also very attractive to foreigners who buy their second residences in Bulgaria.

  In the medieval city of Veliko Tarnovo, perched on three hills above the Yantra river in central Bulgaria, there used to be only two estate agents.

  In the last two years, however, at least 80 new ones have opened their doors to a wave of British buyers looking for a slice of the Bulgarian housing market.

  Malcolm Yaxley, 55, gave up his construction job in the UK and moved to Veliko Tarnovo last year. "The number of new people doubled last year, and it will double again next year," he said.

  The city used to be best-known for being the home of Trifon Ivanov, the bearded football defender who helped Bulgaria reach the World Cup semi-final in 1994.

  Now there are so many Britons in the city that is becoming known as one of the places at the forefront of the British invasion. And it is an invasion – there are 30,000 British home owners nationally, according to figures released this week by the Bulgarian government.

   Bulgaria is experiencing a boom in golf course development as developers are trying to change its image from a seasonal tourist destination with cheap property and beer into a place of preference for the wealthy Europeans to spend their holiday.

  Until recently compared to Spain, later re-discovered as a country for tourism and purchases of residential property at low prices, soon it will have another likeness with the Iberian country – golf tourism.

  Currently there are only three golf courses in operation in Bulgaria. But at least five more are under construction and about twice as many are at design stage. The municipalities that usually own the consolidated land do not stop getting inquiries, in Razlog only there have been registered more than six proposals from developers, three of them are already launched projects.

  The coasts of Tsarevo attract new investors who build holiday settlements and sell apartments to foreigners. The tourist agency that mainly works on the Czech market starts a new project, and a Spanish businessman, who is the President of a big football team, will also build a complex of residences for sale.

  The construction of a four-star hotel complex called “Hermes” in Tsarevo has already started. This was reported by the owners of the tourist agency. The complex will have 600 places. It will be constructed in the “North” zone of the southest Black Sea municipality on an area of 8 decares and will be situated only 100 m away from the central town beach. Its spread built-up area is 15 000 square meters.

  The investment belongs entirely to the biggest tour operator company for Czech tourists in Bulgaria, which has been implementing its activity on our market for already ten years. The Agency will invest EUR 6 million in the construction, which will start in the end of February and will be completed in May 2008, said the investors.

  The Project stipulates the building of a total number of four residential blocks – two apartment blocks with hotel rooms, which will be used only by Czech tourists. During the last year, there were 25 000 Czech tourists spending their summer along the Bulgarian Black Sea coasts.

  At a meeting with the Mayor of Tsarevo – Eng. Petko Arnaudov, the owner of the Tourist Agency shared their intentions to attract more Czech tourists on the territory of the Municipality and to develop mass tourism.

  Representatives of big Western companies are expected to start searching for European offices for rent in Plovdiv during the present year, say representatives of a international real estates company. Those are companies who have already established their business in Sofia, and now wish to open new offices in the bigger regional cities of our country.

  The experts say that every contemporary office building is supposed to be structurally wired, to have central air-conditioning, ventilation, parking, security, as well as self-contained power supply that could serve for 72 hours in cases of breakdown.

  The investment programme of Stara Zagora Municipality for the present year includes the construction of sites at the total amount of BGN 22.774 million. The main source of financing is the municipal income – from the municipal sites’ privatization and from other municipal activities. BGN 9 million is envisaged from the “Privatization” fund, BGN 8,5 million is envisaged from municipal income, and the investment balance amounts to BGN 3,8 million.

  For the first time, in 2007, funds amounting to BGN 474 600 are included in the subsidy for capital expenses of the republican budget, for the maintenance of the municipal road network. The subsidy of the republican budget tends to gradually increase, compared to that of last years. It amounted to BGN 821 400 in 2004, and in 2007, it amounts to BGN 1.474 million. That was announced by the Mayor – Dr. Evgeniy Zhelev, during a press conference for the presenting of the draft budget of the Municipality for the year 2007.

  Due to the good credit rating of Stara Zagora Municipality, we have managed to negotiate and ensure the credit giving for the main investment sites, amounting to BGN 10 million, at very good interest rates and under the conditions of assimilation and repayment”, announced Dr. Zhelev. Greater part of these funds has been assimilated during the year 2006. A total of BGN 2,5 million has been assimilated for the construction and designing of the road infrastructure.