Tourism in Bulgaria | Туризъм в България

[[s2jc]hyp]

Ad time:

Quick:which European country 1) is the continent's oldest state, 2) is the birthplace of a sophisticated ancient society that produced some of antiquity's finest gold artifacts and the gladiator Spartacus, 3) has topography ranging from white-sand beaches to snow-capped mountains, and 4) has a colorful culture that blends the ancient with the modern?

Nope, it's not Greece, Turkey, or any place on the Mediterranean-it's Bulgaria. The E.U.'s newest member (along with Romania) is now a post-communist country that's working hard to catch up with Western Europe.

For tourists, this transitional period means that while things don't always work as they should (some service industry workers don't practice the best customer service and infrastructure is poor in rural areas), you can enjoy things like great food (sort of a blend of Greek and Middle Eastern), stunning scenery, and seaside resorts for far less than you'd pay in other countries.

Although only about the size of Tennessee, you could easily spend several weeks exploring Bulgaria. Kristine Dimitrova, a Boston lawyer who was born in Bulgaria and visits every few years, recommends starting in the capital of Sofia, then visiting one of the mountain regions like the Rhodope and the ancient city of Plovdiv, and finishing up with a few days at the Black Sea resort of Varna.

"Sofia is like a combination of New York, London, and Italy-it has ultra modern stores, phenomenal food, and lively entertainment," says Dimitrova. Aside from its many elaborate churches, Sofia is a fairly modern city, so you'll have to go out into the countryside to discover traditional Bulgaria.

In Rhodope, a few hours' drive from Sofia, you can wander between mountain villages where you'll witness locals still using traditional farming and craft-making methods, and be warmly welcomed in country guesthouses.

Next, head to Plovdiv, a 6,000-year-old (or older) city known as the cultural capital of Bulgaria and the jumping-off point for visiting the Valley of the Thracian Kings, a site of about 1,500 burial mounds.

"Plovdiv is a really place to get a sense of ancient Bulgaria," says Dimitrova. "In the Old Town, you'll see lots of Greek and Roman ruins, including a large Greek amphitheater, as well as a good sample of period Bulgarian villas."

Finally, go east to the Black Sea for some relaxation time in Varna. "Varna is essentially a major destination beach resort for all of Western Europe," says Dimitrova. "It has natural hot mineral springs and modern spas with all the amenities and treatments you'd find in other places, but for a lot less."

It also has an excellent Archaeological Museum (about $3) which displays artifacts like intricately made Thracian gold jewelry from the 4th century B.C. and 100,000-year-old stone tools.

[BG_PATRIOT]

Originally Posted by BG_PATRIOT

Golf and Spa Complex for BGN 100 M to Be Built in Bulgaria's Pravetz

A new vacation complex with a golf course and spa will be constructed in the town of Pravetz by the middle of 2010.

The investment will be for about BGN 100 M, and will be realized by Teratour Service.

The professional golf course will be suitable for hosting international tournaments. A secondary golf course for beginners will also be created nearby. The total length of the golf complex plot will be about 6,5 km.

The spa hotel complex to constructed at the spot will have a total all-out area of 24 500 square meters.

The Director of the new complex Pravetz Golf & Spa Club Viktor Panayotov explained that the average sale price of the apartments in the complex would be about EUR 1200 per square meter, whereas the price for the luxury villas might reach EUR 2000 per square meter.

In Panayotov's words, one of the unique features of Pravetz Golf & Spa is the fact that it would be located right next to the Pravetz hunting preserve as such a combination of opportunities for hunting, golf, and spa was really rare globally.

The town of Pravetz is located some 70 km northeast of Sofia. It is famous for being the birthplace and hometown of Bulgaria's long-serving communist dictator Todor Zhivkov.

[Karapcha]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=joEE9bLBxxg

[new bulgaria]

Originally Posted by Karapcha

http://youtube.com/watch?v=joEE9bLBxxg

Nice video Karapcha:

[Karapcha]

[Karapcha]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bTx6v1DTMuM

[JloKyM]

10x for the videos, Karapcha. I really like them and I hope that many people will see them and then come here, in Bulgaria.

[nikoy88]

i double that

[new bulgaria]

Originally Posted by Karapcha

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bTx6v1DTMuM

Thanks again Karapcha:

[Turnovec]

An increase of only two to three per cent in the number of foreign tourists is to be expected in Bulgaria in the summer of 2008, Bulgarian Tourist Chamber chairperson Tsvetan Tonchev told investor.bg on June 11.

The small increase resulted from charter flights cancelled in the last moment and vacations booked for May by German and Russian tourists, he said. The Germans cancelled their reservations because of the construction, which continues along the coastline.

Part of the Russian tourists were unsatisfied with the visa permit issuing problems.

Still, Germans would be most numerous of the foreign tourists to come to Bulgaria in 2008, nearly 650 000, investor.bg said. The number of the Russians that would visit Bulgaria would increase by 10 per cent on annual basis.

Preliminary calculations showed that the revenue from the summer tourist season would be nearly 1.6 billion euro, compared to the 1.5 billion euro earned in 2007. The number of beds in the coastal resorts, including in the guesthouses, increased by 10 000 year-to-year, reaching nearly 750 000 beds.

According to the Bulgarian Tourist Chamber, nearly half of the Bulgarians to go on holiday would go abroad, mainly in the neighbouring countries.

The average price for bed and breakfast in a three-star hotel at Bulgarian seaside was 60 to 70 leva, while full board would exceed 100 leva in the high season, investor.bg said.

[Делян]

New business hotel (Silver House) in Sofia. This should be in this thread?!?

[ВОДА]

Stara Zagora SPA Resort / Старозагорски минерални бани







Maritza East Hotel / Хотел Марица Изток

























Armira Hotel Complex / Хотелски Комплекс Армира

[BG_PATRIOT]

Golf to Improve Bulgaria Tourist Image According to German Press Agency

Golf clubs and resorts are going to improve Bulgaria's image as tourist destination by offering an alternative to the concrete cities that have been built on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coasts, announced Darik news Tuesday citing the German news agency DPA (Deutsche Press-Agentur GmbH).

The article begins with a description of the golf club in Ravno Pole, located 25 km away from Sofia, adding that at the moment 19 golf courses are being constructed in Bulgaria, including the one worth EUR 50 M near Pravets, the birthplace of Communist Dictator Todor Zhivkov.

According to DPA, the golf course in Ravno Pole is visited by more and more Sofia residents, diplomats and foreign investors.

Experts believe that the strong investment interest would lead to the eventual construction of a total of 40 golf courses in Bulgaria with the Cabinet supporting plans to turn the country into an international golf destination.

DPA further tell its readers that Bulgaria has favorable climate and extremely attractive landscapes, adding that people involved in golfing are trying everything possible to convince others that this is not an elitist game, but rather an excellent way to fight stress and spend family vacations since more and more golf courses offer attractions even for young children.

The DPA reporter states that golf courses were going to be a good tourist alternative for Bulgaria to discontinue the country's association with cheap Black Sea vacations.

After the construction boom on the sea coast, the upcoming summer was going to show if Bulgaria's tourism would be able to escape its concrete sins and return to nature, according to DPA, which reminds that 2007 was a record tourist year with international sea and ski resorts in Bulgaria attracting over 5 million tourists.

The reporter also mentions the fact that after Bulgaria's joining of the European Union, the number of EU tourists has increased by 50% and profits from tourism in 2007 have reached the record EUR 2,3 B - an 11% increase compared to the previous year with the State Tourist Agency in Bulgaria expecting a 10% increase in 2008.

[just4ivaylo]

Stop posting pics, you're making me miss the country even more.

[BG_PATRIOT]

Спортно-туристически център за 50 млн. евро ще строят в Чепеларе

Символичен старт на строежа на Спортно-туристически център Чепеларе ще бъде даден на 5 юли (събота).

Министър-председателят на Република България Сергей Станишев ще направи първата копка на стратегическия за града проект, който ще бъде изграден на връх "Мечи чал" (до военното поделение).

Проектът е от стратегическо значение за община Чепеларе и ще определи посоката на развитие на региона като предпочитана от българи и чужденци туристическа дестинация през следващите години.

Инвеститор в Спортно-туристически център Чепеларе е публично-частното дружество "Чепеларе курорт" АД. В него участват община Чепеларе и "Родопска инициатива" АД.

[JuMPer]

According to Germanys 3rd largest tour operator, German tourists are on the rise 30% this year.

30 % ръст на немски туристи у нас

news.bg

Размер на шрифта: a a a

Ръстът на германците по Черноморието е 30 на сто, като миналата година броят им бе значително по-малък.

Това даде повод за спекулации за отлив на туристи от Германия, но този сезон присъствието им е изключително силно и очакваме следващия сезон да станат още повече.

Това обяви Михаел Никел, продуктов мениджър на третия по големина немски туроператор на българския пазар REWE, цитиран от burgasinfo.

В чуждите медии имаше много негативни изказвания за развитието на туризма в България. Опровергавам и слуховете, че няма немски туристи по морето. Броят им за сега е нараснал с 30 %.,категоричен бе той.

Тези данни са еднозначни - има нещо в курортите тук, което ги привлича и очаквам тази тенденция да се запази, коментира още той.

Никел изтъкна, че повече чужденци предпочитат да прекарат почивката си в родни хотели, които носят утвърдени марки за качество и стандарт в обслужването.

Достатъчно показателен е факта, че над 1/3 от дошлите тук се връщат за следващата си ваканция отново в Слъчнев бряг, добави Михаел Никел.

Според него, страната ни трябва да се фокусира към фамилния туризъм.

Работим с различни възрастови групи, но предпочитаме да настаняваме предимно семейства с деца. Те са платежоспособни гости, а мисля, че това е от значение за местната икономика в България.

Въпреки, че се увеличава броят на новите хотели, които предлагат олинкузив, съмнявам се, че това е най-удачната формула и тези обекти ще се задържат дълго на изключително претенциозния пазар, обобщи Никел.

az ot li4en opit, do kolkoto pomnia minalata godina imashe mnogo pove4e hora ot po-minalata v varna, slan4ev, i lozenec, i sam po sklonen da viarvam na tazi statia malko pove4e.

[bgrs]

Имаше други статии, според които в Слънчев Бряг било голяма стагнация, добре че били руснаците и румънците, защото имало голямо отдръпване на скандинавци и англичани и много хотели имало празни и се очаквали фалити...не знам, нямам пряки впечатления, но то ще си стане ясно скоро така или иначе.

[nikoy88]

abe ne znam vazmojnoe i nqkade da e po prazni4ko, ama kato minax v4era prez Sozopol, Primorsko, MMC-to i Kiten be6e fra6 ot xora. . .
Ne samo 4e ima6e baq narod ama i pove4eto Hoteli ve4e bqxa palni ta trqbva6e 4ak v Mi4yrin da otsednem. . . ne znam kak e kam severnoto 4ernomorie no za Iyjnoto vi kazvam 4e e po4ti na full, pak o6te ne sme dori Avgust . . .



P.S. sry 4e pi6a na latinitsa no prosto nqmqm Kirilitsa

[Turnovec]

"Зазиждат" устието на Камчия

Поредният мащабен туристически проект ще сложи край на едно от малкото останали непокътнати и девствени райони на Черноморието.

До няколко месеца на устието на река Камчия, точно където тя се влива в Черно море, ще закипи от багери, работници и изкопни машини.

Два големи проекта едновременно ще стартират, за да бъдат финализирани до средата на 2011 година.

От северната страна на устието на Камчия кметът на Москва Юрий Лужков ще инвестира близо 200 млн. евро в проект за ваканционно селище, простиращо се на 140 дка.

От южната страна на устието собственикът на в-к" Стандарт" и футболен клуб „Левски" Тодор Батков ще вложи почти същата сума в проект за затворен тип апартаментен комплекс с луксозно строителство.

Реализацията на проектите ще сложи край на девствената красота и неповторимата природа на това място.
В момента може би няма кътче по Черноморието, което да съчетава едновременно толкова златист чист пясък, прозрачна чиста морска вода и надвесили се горски лесове.

Устието на Камчия е на територията на община Аврен, която се намира между общините Варна и Обзор.
Според кмета на Аврен обаче проектите били полезни, защото осигурявали нови работни места и ще стимулират туризма в общината.

Скандалното в случая е, че територията доскоро е попадала в защитена зона, но именно кметската управа на Аврен я е деактувала и е дала зелена светлина на поредното строително безумие.

Честито !

[JuMPer]

16,6% More Foreign Tourists Visited Bulgaria in January-May 2008

11 July 2008, Friday
novinite.com

Click to enlarge the photo
The number of foreign tourists visiting Bulgaria has grown 16,6% in the first months of 2008. Photo by Kameliya Atanassova (Sofia Photo Agency)
| buy photo |
The Chair of Bulgaria's State Agency for Tourism Aneliya Krushkova announced Friday that the number of foreign tourists visiting the country in the first five months of 2008 has grown 16,6% compared to the same period of 2007.

The greatest percentage increases are recorded in the number of Romanians visiting Bulgaria. They are followed by Serbs, Macedonians, and Russians.

Krushkova also announced that the World Tourist Organization ranked Bulgaria 39th in the world by the number of foreign tourists it attracted in 2007.

She said, however, that the country was not included in the ranking by revenue from foreign tourists.

At the same time 29% more Bulgarians have traveled abroad as tourists in January-May 2008 compared to the same period of 2007, with Greece, Egypt, and Turkey being the most popular foreign tourist destinations for them.