News

  What is the standard of the most popular Bulgarian resorts as regards organization, conditions and prices? What could make foreign tourists give their preference to Bansko and Borovets and what would prevent them from coming here again.
Two hundred and ten journalists from 32 countries who took part in the 52nd World Ski Championship for Journalists held in Bansko answered these questions.
All the participants in Bansko 2006 had the opportunity to get closely acquainted with Bulgaria's most chic ski resort. They spent a day in Bulgaria's leading mountain resort Borovets, too.

  Preferences and shopping habits of Bulgarian buyers are shifting toward larger facilities, a leading agency found in its report on retail property in Bulgaria in the first quarter of 2006.
This trend is supported by the increasing number of international-style shopping malls currently under development, as well as the number of projects in the pipeline.

  In 2006, three major shopping centres will open in Sofia and one in Veliko Turnovo (northern Bulgaria). Large-scale shopping facilities are also planned to be built soon in the Black Sea cities of Varna and Bourgas.
Demand for retail space in high street locations in Sofia continues to exceed supply. Strong demand comes mainly from fashion boutiques, fast food restaurants, pharmacies and financial institutions.

  Over 1.5 bln euro will be invested in the development of business properties in Bulgaria in the next 1-2 years. The top deals for 2006 were the transaction involving office property Business Park Sofia and 3 shopping malls, 2 in Sofia and one in Veliko Tarnovo.

Specialists estimate that the value of transacted business properties - offices, warehouses, production sites, commercial centers, hotels, entertainment venues, holiday vacation villages and land, reached 570 mln euro in 2006 versus 215 mln euro a year earlier.

The spread of shopping mall developments will continue. There will also be an increase in lettings in commercial centers and mixed-used buildings where the ground floor is designated as retail space.

The demand for shopping malls is here to stay as a number of international store brands are yet to open shop in Bulgaria, said Petar Dudolenski, executive director of Mall Plovdiv. In his view, every Bulgarian city with 100,000-150,000 residents can do with a 20,000 sq m mall.

 Estate buyers from Russia, Ireland, Spain and France are eager for Bulgaria's seaside, the Financial Times said Saturday.
The story points out a tendency for more upscale development - high-end villas and bigger apartments.
The regions of the Avren, a village cuddled in the forest near Varna, and historic Balchik are pointed out as some of the examples of this higher-level construction with good onsite facilities.

The north zone will be competing with Nessebar, Sozopol, with new Riviera

 A completely new town will spring up in the next 1-2 years nearby Tsarevo. It will surround the famous Popski bay. The magnificent view and marvellous sea will provide good atmosphere for 25 thousand people. According to the plans of the enterprisers this will be the number of beds in the buildings which are about to be constructed.
The resort town is the newest on the southern Black sea coast and will be in the Northern zone of Tsarevo.
At the moment the site is occupied with old ruined bungalows and departmental vacation complexes.

Several new tourism complexes connected with modern infrastructure, connected with modern infrastructure, announced the mayor of Tsarevo - Petko Arnaudov.
A luxurious complex with the exotic name- “The Crocodile Coast” will be the major attraction of the site. It will bear that name as it will be situated on the Popski bay which has the shape of a crocodile head.
On a total area of 62 decares on the solitude plateau scores of villas, a five star complex, 12 swimming pools with glass bottoms, will be constructed. Investors are Russian companies.
On the top of two of the buildings will be contracted a disco complexes.

  Tour-operators expect a growth of 8% in 2007 if Bulgaria's parliament decides to keep the 7% VAT on tourism. The number of the holiday-makers in Bulgaria was by 4.5% higher in 2005. The revenues from international tourism amount to 1.88 billion euros, while the positive balance of tourism exceeded 1 billion euros for the first time.
  In 2007, the revenues may be increased by additional 10% in case the 7% VAT is preserved, experts from the branch forecast.

  Schenker Bulgaria plans the construction of the biggest East European logistics centre in Bulgaria.

The company would invest 7.5 million euro in the first year after the project was launched, Dnevnik daily reported.

The centre will cover an area of 47 000 sq m at the entrance of the town of Bozhourishte, near Sofia. It will be opened by the end of 2007 and will accommodate Schenker’s headquarters and its Sofia office.

Recently Schenker manager Minko Vasilevski told Dnevnik that the new centre would include a 2000 sq m cross-docking store and a 3000 sq m logistic store.

  Vacation property in Bulgaria appears to be inexpensive for foreign buyers and for wealthier Bulgarians, which leads to further price increases.

Despite the construction boom and intense property offering prices remain high, 24 Chassa daily reported.

Property in Bansko winter resort and Sunny Beach coastal resort registered highest price increase percentage. Imot.bg reported that investors have to spend now 20 per cent more on property in the two regions as compared to values for January 2006.

Bansko is the winter resort that offers most property for sale. A number of investors have also turned to Pamporovo.

  European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Bulgaria Geoffrey Van Orden said that discussion on the work and closure of Bulgarias Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) was possible, though major changes were unlikely.

Bulgaria had to close four units of its six-reactor NPP because of EU nuclear safety requirements. Units three and four were closed on December 31 2006 although EU experts declared them to be safe.

Van Orden said that he was disappointed that EP and Bulgaria failed to negotiate better agreement for units three and four.

The reactor closure was a mistake of the EP, he said as quoted by Focus news agency.

Nuclear energy will become more important to the EU as the union wants to achieve energy stability and energy independence from Russia and Middle Eastern countries.

Europe would have to prepare a new energy strategy and new discussions on the fate of Kozloduy NPP were possible, Van Orden said.

  With icy streams gurgling through lush tree-covered mountains, it’s easy to see why Ivan Rilski chose the Rila mountains to lead his hermetic life.
  Our accommodation was a notch up from Rilski’s cave, but only just. Organised as ever, we had completely failed to book anything in advance and first decided to try our luck at the Zodiak campsite where we were greeted with what sounded like a German take on traditional Bulgarian music, a strange mixture of a manic clarinet being played over an um-pa-pa beat. It was a hit with campsite’s residents, who were already on the dance floor, arms linked, legs flailing every which way giving the impression of a drunken millipede. I think we were all relieved to find that the bungalows were fully booked.
  The Bor Campsite proved to be a much more peaceful option. Friends and families sat around, reading and lazing in the afternoon sun. The huts were basic, their green paint peeling, and their beds sagging, but the sheets were clean, the sun shining and the fresh mountain air tinged with the smoke of camp fires was invigorating. After paying the grand sum of 10 leva for a hut for the night we enjoyed a beer at the outdoor cafe, feeling very rustic, sitting by a wood-fuelled stove, on stools made from tree trunks.