This summer, Varna will appear for the first time on the destination rosters of four airlines. Edelweiss Air will fly to Zurich; Lithuanian Airlines will offer flights to Vilnius while Air Italy Polska will open routes to Warsaw and Katowice. Ukrainе's Lviv Airlines will offer a flight service to Lvov. The number of Boeing 747s jetting to and from the Varna airport, on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, will double this summer, said airport PRO Meliha Kasacheva. Eight flights of Russian carrier Transaero are scheduled on Mondays, generating a traffic of 2,800 passengers. Low cost carriers already flying to Varna are also adding new destinations. Norwegian Air Shuttle opened a service to Oslo two months ago and will start offering flights to Warsaw later this month. Sterling Airlines will fly to Copenhagen while Air Berlin and German wings will carry passengers to Duesseldorf, Cologne and Berlin. The Varna airport has processed 185,000 passengers in the first five months of 2008, up roughly 8% year-on-year. Passengers booked on regular flights generate 10-15% of total traffic.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

The biggest exhibit on water in Bulgaria, Bulgaria Boat Show is officially opening Thursday evening at the seaport of the country's sea capital Varna. The yacht exhibit will take place June 6 to the 8 and will present over 50 new yacht models. 20 of them will be on the water while the remaining will be showcased on land. The expensive yachts will be displayed on an area of over 2000 square meters. Bugaria Boat Show 2008 will showcase more Azimut yacht then the biggest European exhibits. The yacht Itama 40 will make its European debut in Varna while the models Azimut 68S, Atlantis 50, Ferretti 830 and 460, as well Azimut 105 - one of the biggest yachts on the international market will sail for the first time in the Black Sea. The luxury Italian yachts Atlantica 78, Azzurra 63 and One 43 that can travel with speeds of over 45 nods per hour are also an absolute novelty. In the course of three days the visitors of Bulgaria Boat Show will have the opportunity to watch yacht demonstrations and participate in yacht tests. In addition, the exhibit will showcase elite automobiles, watches and properties. The agenda includes fashion shows and luxury parties. Bulgaria Boat Show has the goal to advertise and make yachting more popular by presenting the use and the ownership of boats as a modern way for contemporary businessmen to spend family vacations and to relax.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com

Rental investors in Bulgaria are seeing a surge in demand for tourist accommodation this summer, it has emerged. Online travel agency Lastminute.com revealed that the number of June bookings for the country is 151 per cent up on 12 months earlier. This means that some owners of holiday accommodation in Bulgaria will see higher occupancy rates this year, as well as greater rental returns. According to Lastminute.com, the increase in the number of bookings is partly because consumers in the UK want to avoid Euro 2008, which kicks off in Austria and Switzerland this weekend. John Bevan, managing director of the firm, commented: "It would appear that it is too painful for fans to stay home and watch Euro 2008 without their team competing." This comes after the Times said that Bulgaria is a much more affordable holiday destination than places such as Italy, Portugal, France and Spain.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com

The eastern European destinations of Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania have been recommended to British tourists looking for a bargain ski holiday. Bulgaria's Borovets resort is the cheapest ski holiday destination, with prices for equipment and accommodation half of what travellers would find in Vail, Colorado, according to Post Office Travel Services. For those people and for bargain hunters, Bulgaria and Romania represent excellent value." This comes after the Association of British Travel Agents reported that France had overtaken Austria as the most popular skiing destination in Europe.

Source: Novinite.com

Budget air carrier Wizz Air Tuesday announced on its website that it would expand its Sofia base by deploying an additional new A320 aircraft starting from 12 July 2008. The airline will start new flights from Sofia to the domestic Varna airport, on the Black Sea, becoming the first low cost airline to operate domestic flights in Bulgaria. Tickets are already on sale with one way all inclusive fares starting from as low as 9.99 euro for Varna. The average price for a one-way fare will be 60-80 levs if it is purchased on the day of the flight, said József Váradi, chief executive officer of Wizz Air. Travelers will pay additional charges for non-carry-on luggage. The Wizz Air fare is around ten times cheaper than competing offers from Hemus Air, the only other carrier currently flying between the capital and coastal airports Varna and Burgas. The price is even lower than bus and train fares available to these destinations from Sofia.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Dental tourism is an increasing trend with more and more Britons, who combine a holiday to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast with a visit to the dentist. Bulgaria, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Thailand are cashing in from a growing number of Britons who cannot get treatment on the NHS or cannot afford to pay huge bills for going private, the Finance Market online edition reported. The medical search engine, revahealthnetwork.com, has revealed that 35,000 Britons a year travel overseas for dental work and nearly 60,000 searched online for information on dentists. The company declared that Britons can save up to 70% by travelling overseas for dental treatment - before accommodation and flights are taken into account. Bulgaria is a preferred destination due to the low-cost, high-quality dental care. The prices that local dentists charge are about seven times lower than those in Great Britain.

Source: Novinite.com

British low-cost air carrier easyJet Wednesday announced it has added Sofia to its destination network. The company will perform flights from London's Gatwick airport to the Bulgarian capital three times a week - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from November 6. The carrier said return fares will start from 75.77 euro with airport charges. Lower fares will be available to early bookers. Low-cost carrier British Midland has also announced plans to launch flights to Sofia from London's Luton airport this fall.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Borosport AD, the company managing the skiing facilities in Bulgarian mountain resort Borovets under a concession arrangement, said it will invest 70 mln levs over the next 3 years in new ski runs, skiing equipment and installations for artificial snow. The combined length of the Borovets ski runs will be extended to 120 km over the investment period. The company will attempt to make the best of the skiing locations with altitude between 1,600 and 2,500 m where snow shortage, which has plagued many an international winter resort, is less of a problem.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Low cost carrier Wizz Air said it is launching a twice-weekly service from Sofia to Dortmund. The one-way fare is 24.99 euro with airport charges. At the moment, Wizz Air flies from Sofia to London and Rome and from Varna and Burgas to Warsaw, Budapest and Katowice. The new routes will boost to 37& the carrier's share of the local budget air travel market and to 20% its share of the overall air travel market. According to Wizz Air, no-frills carrier account for 40-50% of the total market.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Local company Bansko Privilege Resort said it will invest 5 mln euro in the construction of a shopping mall in Bulgaria's skiing hotspot Bansko. The retail center is sited next to the lower end of the gondola lift and the Kempinski Grand Arena hotel and should open for business in mid-2008. The 6,000 sq m mall will have 2 underground and 4 above ground levels.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Budget carrier SkyEurope said it will launch flights from Bulgarian Black Sea town Burgas to Krakow, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. The Burgas-Krakow route will be available three times a week from June 9, Burgas-Bratislava from June 16 and Burgas-Prague from June 23. No date has been set for the flights to Budapest. SkyEurope offers an onward coach connection from Bratislava to Vienna. Norwegian Air Shuttle launched a regular service from Burgas to Oslo on April 14. The flights will be available every Saturday through October. German no-frills carrier Germanwings started flying from Burgas to Berlin, Cologne and Bonn from May 20. The Burgas airport expects passenger traffic to increase by 10% to 2 mln in 2007.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Some 17,7000 Romanian tourists descended on the Bulgarian Black Sea resorts during the recent extended Labor Day holidays, shows data of the Romanian border authorities. The holiday rush brings the total number of Romanian arrivals to 40,000 for the past 3-4 weeks. According to Romanian news agency Rompress, the appeal of the Bulgarian resort destinations lies in the good value for money that they offer. The Romanian national association of travel agents estimates that Romanian tourists paid 110-120 euro per person for a 4-day package.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Real estate developers in Bulgaria have woken up to the massive pulling power of top quality golf courses, experts say.

"Five signature courses - from the likes of Ian Woosnam, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player - are planned," says Chris Goodall from English language magazine Quest Bulgaria. "Developers here have recognised that by setting a course in an excellent location and combining it with additional quality attractions such as spas, wellness centres, horse riding, tennis and so on, gives year-round appeal. Golf is offering buyers the opportunity to buy top real estate not linked specifically to sea or ski." With global golf tourism worth over GBP 10 B, Bulgaria has 12 new 18-hole courses in development or underway, with five due for completion by 2008. Of these five courses, 30% of the 2,300 residential units across them have already been sold. Experts point out that Bulgaria is set to prosper from its all-new putting greens, given the success of Spanish and Portuguese golf developments and low cost airlines further spurring on future golf development. According to the World Tourism Organisation, by 2020 nearly every third visitor to Europe will choose a central or Eastern European destination.

Source: Novinite.com

The high-speed passenger ships "Comet" transporting tourists between Bulgaria and Turkey will be back in a month for the beginning of the summer season. The retro ships were stopped from motion more than 15 years ago, but now the businessman Radostin Dachev from the seaside city of Burgas decided to revive the idea and has already bough one ship for 240 passengers, which will be named Laura. The vessel can move with 30 to 40 knots so the distance between Nessebar and Istanbul will take five hours to travel. The ship will start from the Nessebar Port late in the evening and will arrive in Istanbul early on the next morning. The "sea busses" as they are known in Bulgaria were travelling between the ports of Burgas and Varna and Burgas and Sozopol.

Source: Novinite.com

Some 1,000 vacation homes in Black Sea resorts Sunny Beach and St. Vlas have been listed for sale, shows data of local real estate brokerage portal imoti.net. A third of the apartments were bought at 600-800 euro/sq m three to four years ago and now the owners are trying to sell them at double the purchase price. The holiday homes have been listed after the rent income they generated fell short of their owners' expectations. Most of the units are occupied for no more than 3 weeks and that amount of rent income is insufficient to cover year-round maintenance, let alone eke out a profit, commented imoti.net analysts. The asking price of holiday homes in the two resorts starts from 450 euro/sq m and tops out at 2,500 euro/sq m with the average price at 900 euro/sq m. Oversupply has developers struggling to move properties still under construction at sale prices above 1,000-1,200 euro/sq m, forcing them to throw in incentives like furnishings. Only fully-furnished seaview properties command sale prices of over 1,600 euro/sq m.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Local company Terra Tour Service has announced plans to invest 71.8 mln levs in a golf resort near the city of Pravets. Northern Bulgaria. The project will be granted a First Class Investor certificate by the InvestBulgaria Agency, the local investment promotion authority Terra Tour Service is managed by Vasil Zlatev, father of Lukoil Bulgarian executive director Valentin Zlatev. The 60 ha resort will comprise a PGA-level course, clubhouse and 35 villas. Terra Tour Service, which owns 4 hotels, game parks, sports venues, spa center and a Pomorie holiday complex, plans to self-finance 30% of the project cost and borrow the remainder. The Pravets development is the 5th golf resort awarded a First Class Investor certificate after projects in Pomorie, Razlog, Kavarna and the village of Kurilo near Sofia.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the EU is expected to generate a boom in tourism around Eastern Europe, especially on the Balkans, according to Travel Blackboard e-zine. After the two countries joined the Union, experts envisage that 2007 the number of foreign tourists in Bulgaria will jump with 10%. Around 5.6 million tourists are expected to visit the country. Bulgaria's EU membership has made it more popular as a travel destination. Even in 2006, when it was still not known whether the EU will approve country's accession, the tourist agencies registered record revenues, unseen before. The small country on the Balkan Peninsula has the best offers for winter vacations with its ski resorts Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovetz.

Source: Novinite.com

Bulgarian coastal airports Varna and Burgas will have new passenger terminals by mid-2009, said Andreas Helfer, general executive director of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management which manages the two facilities under a 35-year concession arrangement. The new terminals will streamline the check-in and luggage inspection process and will allow checked-in passengers to shop and have access to all other services available at EU airport lounges, said Helfer.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

The Bulgarian citizens will be allowed to travel to Mexico without visas from March 11 2007, the Deputy Foreign Minister Gergana Grancharova announced. The decision was made after negotiations between the two countries, Darik News reported. The Bulgarians will have the opportunity to stay in Mexico for up to 90 days within six months, crossing the border only by their passports. Until now, only those Bulgarians, who had diplomatic or official passports, were allowed to enter Mexico without visas.

Source: Novinite.com

Business
Bulgaria and Romania are likely to attract many low-cost carriers thanks to their accession to the European Union and fast growing economies, Financial Times Deutschland reported. "The two countries are hoping to enjoy the same travel boom experienced by their fellow former-communist neighbours in central and eastern Europe - such as Hungary, Poland and the Baltic states - when they joined the EU in 2004," the article says. It points out that in anticipation of EU membership both Bulgaria and Romania have already dropped protectionist measures designed to coddle their national flagship carriers. SkyEurope, based in Slovakia, WizzAir and a few other low-cost carriers already operate flights to Bucharest and Sofia. As of January 1, however, access became even easier. Any operator with a European Union air carrier licence no longer needs government permission to secure landing rights.

Source: Novinite.com

Low cost carrier Wizz Air Monday announced it will add new destinations to and from Bulgaria with its summer flight timetable. Starting in June, Wizz Air will fly from Bulgarian coastal city Burgas to Budapest, Katowice and Warsaw. Flights to Budapest will be available from another Bulgarian coastal city, Varna. At the moment, Wizz Air flies only to London from Burgas, a route serviced by rivals Bulgaria Air, Hemus Air and British Airways. Budget carrier Sky Europe recently said it was launching a Mon-Sat Sofia-Vienna route from March 26. Ryan Air is expected to open this year routes from Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second biggest city, to Britain, Spain and Germany. Italy's Myair and German Wings are also due to start operating to and from Sofia this summer.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Business

Bulgaria will present itself with a stand on the international tourist exhibition Vakantiebeurs in the Netherlands. The exhibition will take place in the city of Utrecht from 9 to 14 January. Bulgaria will have its information stand installed on an area of 60 square metres. The stand will be the place where six travelling agencies and the Municipality of Smoliyan from the country will present their tourist offers. The exhibition is expected to welcome more than 250 00o visitors this year.

Source: Novinite.com

No-frills airline Ryan Air will start offering flights to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second biggest city, from August 2007, said Plamen Nikolov, executive director of the Plovdiv airport. The low cost carrier will fly from Plovdiv to destinations in Britain, Spain and Germany which have a substantial population of Bulgarian expats. In Germany, Ryan Air will use the Hahn airport near Frankfurt. The destination airports in Britain and Spain have not been specified. In related news, it emerged that the Sofia airport is in talks with both Ryan Air and easyJET. EasyJET refused to provide more information. A slew of budget carriers will enter the Bulgarian aviation market in the second half of 2007 and in 2008, predicted Plamen Stanchev, director of the Sofia International Airport. The local no-frills segment is currently shared by Wizz Air and SkyEurope. Bulgaria's overall aviation market is valued at 400-500 mln euro annually. Italy's MyAir and Germany's German Wings will start operating from the Sofia airport with the start of the summer flight schedule on March 25, said the Sofia airport. Wizz Air and SkyEurope are expected to increase their flights to and from Sofia from the same date by 22 and 15 respectively. German Wings said it will fly three times a week between Sofia and Stuttgart and Berlin. The company also said it is interested in a service to and from Plovdiv. MyAir plans to offer 23 flights weekly from Sofia to Bologna, Torino and Milan. The executive director of the airport in Burgas, on the Black Sea, recently said Norway's Norwegian Air Shuttle, Britain's ThomsonFly, German Wings and Ryan Air were interested in operating from the coastal city.(Dnevnik)

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Australian tour operator Tempo Holidays announced on its website it is adding Bulgaria to its '07 catalogue, saying its 43rd destination extends options for Greece and Turkey travellers. The launch products will include a two night Taste of Sofia package and a seven day coach tour including 4 star hotels, Roman ruins, old Bulgarian monasteries, city tours of Plovdiv, historic Veliko Tarnovo. Tempo Holidays will offer private airport to city hotel transfers at Sofia.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Business

Bulgaria has welcomed over 200,000 Russian tourists for the period until the end of September, which is 22% more than for the same period last year.

Bulgaria and the Russian Federation will step up their cooperation in the sphere of tourism according to a draft agreement ratified by the cabinet Wednesday, the government press centre announced.

Apart from the traditional interest Russian tourists display in taking vacations at the Black Sea, they have started going on winter, balneological and SPA programmes.

Excursions to destinations within the country have also acquired greater popularity among Russian tourists. The guests show great interest in cultural and historical sites, as well as in extended tours to third countries.

Source: Novinite.com

Vacations for pregnant women and holidays for lonely people are the latest hit at the International Tourism Fair in London

Tripe soup, banitsa, Shopska salad, cheverme, strong brandy and special wines will lure tourists to come to visit Bulgaria. The traditional Bulgarian dishes can attract as many foreigners as the ski resorts in the country, say tour operators. We have to make advantage of this increasingly popular form of tourism as there's a lot of original dishes in Bulgaria that can pleasantly surprise gourmets all around the world, say experts. More than half of the tourists are interested in food that will be served to them during their stay, shows a British survey conducted at the International Tourism Fair in London. According to the study 83% of holidaymakers that travel with prepaid all-inclusive packages are ready to give up lunch and dinner to try local specialties. Alternative forms of tourism have become a real hit at the International Tourism Fair in London. There are two options for the seekers of gourmet pleasures. You can simply choose an itinerary from the reference book of the top 100 restaurants in the world or seek exotic experience with traditional dishes in ordinary local restaurants. Some of the most popular offers of tour operators are vacations for future mothers. The most suitable time for such a vacation is the second trimester of pregnancy, say experts. Upon their arrival in the hotel the future parents receive gifts for babies. Some of the most sought after hotels are those offering SPA procedures for pregnant women and childbirth classes. Future mothers can also order special massages for relieving back pains and tension in the legs. Holidays for lonely hearts are also becoming increasingly popular, say tour operators. Huge profits can be made on this market, as there are a lot of people who are willing to pay top dollar just to avoid the uncomfortable feeling to have dinner alone or be bored during their vacation. There are two types of loners. Some of them look for extreme experience and others just want to find a soul mate.

Source: StandartNews.com

Bulgaria's Black Sea resorts have received nearly 1,5 M foreign tourists for the 2006 summer season, shows a survey of the Analysis of Tourism Institute. The numbers were announced at the tourism forum "Bulgaria's Mountains". Rough calculations show the income from foreign tourists' visits for the summer season is about EUR 600 M. Bulgaria has scored a 8,3 % increase of the number of foreign tourist and a 4,6 % growth of income from tourism for the last year.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Four no-frills carriers have notified the Sofia International Airport of their interest to offer regular flights to and from Bulgaria starting January 1, 2007 when the local aviation market opens to competition. Italian low-cost airline Myair will introduce on February 15, 2007 a new flight between Bologna, northern Italy, and Sofia, the company said in a statement quoted by news agency ANSA on Tuesday. The service will be available three times a week. Ireland's Ryanair, Britain's easyJet and Germany's Germanwings have also forwarded a flight schedule to the Sofia airport. Ryanair has proposed a service between Sofia and Frankfurt, Dnevnik learned from the Sofia airport. EasyJET wants to fly between Sofia and London. The company confirmed it was in talks with 50 airports, including Bulgaria. Several budget carriers are also seeking regulator slots from 2007 at the Burgas airport, on the Black Sea. Norwegian Air Shuttle, Britain's Thomsonfly, Germanwings and Ryanair are all interested in flying to Burgas, said Kalin Barzov, executive director of the airport. The Norwegian carrier has proposed flights to Poland, Norway and the rest of Scandinavia from March 2007. German Wings will fly from Burgas to Duesseldorf and Cologne. SkyEurope and WizzAir have the Bulgarian low cost market to themselves at the moment. Budget carriers were kept away form the Bulgarian aviation market over the past couple of years to preserve the market share of flag carrier Bulgaria Air which is currently undergoing a privatisation procedure. However, Sofia recently signed the open skies agreement that grants all European carriers access to the local market. The document is expected to be ratified by the Bulgarian parliament within a month.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

The Austrian Airlines in Bulgaria will offer discount prices to tickets to the most frequented sites in Austria within the "Welcome Aboard" initiative. The company launched the initiative in a bid to make more accessible the destinations within the European Union and encouraging Bulgarians embark on journeys to European countries on a daily basis. The initiative is part of an Austrian - Bulgarian professional tourism forum, which takes place in Sofia for a second year. The Austrian Airlines' preferential prices are for two-way tickets, do not include airport fees and are as follows: Sofia - Salzburg - Sofia - EUR 185; Sofia - Insburg - Sofia - EUR 185; Sofia - Vienna - Sofia - EUR 169. The new ticket prices will make it possible for more Bulgarians to get acquainted with Austria's cultural heritage and experience the treasures of Austrian nature, the airline believe.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

On EU Doorstep Bulgaria and Romania have put remarkable efforts into becoming worthy of joining the EU and they deserve a warm welcome, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said presenting the monitoring report on Tuesday. Yet the report proposes some safeguard measures that would help keep both countries on the right track and guarantee that EU taxpayers' money is spent rightfully. Bulgaria has already done a lot in the areas of legislation and tackling corruption and the constitutional reform will lead to favorable changes in the judiciary and in fighting organized crime, Rehn said. Still there had to be more practical results, now that the laws have been mended. Accompanying measures will focus in the areas of the judicial system and the fight against organized crime, and they will also monitor how EU structural funds are spent in the area of agriculture. Should it turn out that this money is not used rightfully, assets could be frozen, or the cash flow simply stopped.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The European Commission has invited Bulgaria and Romania to join the European Union in January, as they are able to take on rights as full fledged members on 1 January 2007.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Fraport Twin Star Airports Management, the Fraport-controlled operator of Bulgaria's Varna and Burgas airports, said it will begin the construction of a new passenger terminal at the Burgas airport as soon as it obtained the necessary building permits. The new addition will double the current passenger capacity of the airport to 2.5 mln. The facility should be operational by mid-2009. Fraport Twin Star Airports Management will have to present to the Bulgarian transport ministry by November 10 all upgrades it intends to make for next year's tourist season. The airport operator, which will be based in Varna, said the cost of the near-term upgrades is seen at 10 mln euro.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Icelandic tourists have been discovering Bulgaria as a favourite tourism destination this year, according to data by the state Tourism Authority. Along with Iceland, steady rise in the interest to spend the holidays in Bulgaria has been found with tourist from Ireland and Romania. Nearly 5% more tourists have come to Bulgaria in the first half of 2006 year-on-year, cashing in some EUR 450.1 M. For July alone the upward trend hit 10.61% more compared to the same month in 2005. The number of tourists from the UK, Ireland, Romania and the Scandinavian countries has been continuously on the rise, the Tourism Authority said. Greece tops the statistics with 332,559 tourists here, followed by Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Germany, the UK, Romania, Turkey, Russia and the Czech Republic.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Alternative tourism is among the sectors to which Bulgaria puts weight, the country's state-run tourism agency announced in Salzburg, Austria. The country has presented its tourism development strategy at the Second European Conference on Rural Development in the Austrian city. The event was attended by a large number of delegates representing a total of 40 rural areas from European 26 countries. Bulgaria will make efforts to draw more visitors by further promoting cultural and natural tourism. The country will a work out a strategy, which envisages that summer and winter tourism development keep its pace. Safety, an increasing number of tour operators and programmes for alternative tourism and enhanced media awareness are among the strengths of alternative tourism in Bulgaria.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Real estate prices in Bulgaria have increased by 20% over the last year, according to London-based Night Frank Estate agents, cited by 24 Hours daily. Bulgaria ranks second in respect of property prices growth after Latvia, enjoying a 45.3% rise for the said period, the survey showed. The ongoing trend of significant increase is due to the low inflation rate, the growing life standard and the easy access to mortgage credits, according to experts. In five years, the Russian capital Moscow will rival London in the world's most expensive city competition, analysts note. The survey included Europe, the US and several Asian countries.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgarian tourism holding Russalka Holidays said it will invest 2 mln euro in an aqua park in the Rusalka-Elite vacation complex, on the Black Sea. The water park should be ready for next year's summer season. The holding said there will be no further construction of accommodation facilities in the resort, located some 90 km north of Varna, to prevent overdevelopment.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

A Thracian town dating back to IV century B.C. in central Bulgaria has the potential to become one of the country's archaeological hotspots, according to experts. Local authorities in the town of Kazanluk plan to turn it into a place of great importance to Bulgaria's tourism. The municipality and four Dutch companies will set up in September a foundation, aimed to promote the ancient town and fund its restoration. The attractive site, which is the only one of its kind preserved in Bulgaria spreads on a 50 dca area. Currently, the Thracian heritage is under water after the near dam overflowed it, but the mayor plans to drain the site by erecting a dam wall around it. Preliminary estimates show that the whole project will be worth some EUR 50 M and may be carried out in eight to nine months.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria has topped as number one up-and-coming destination for travellers, according to a freshly released survey. The forecasts published by online travel company, Opodo, suggest that Bulgaria will be the top emerging destination for 2007. Close runner-ups to the Balkan state are Russia, Morocco and Cuba. According to Neil Mott, Opodo's UK country manager, 2006 has seen a strong rise in travel to Eastern European countries since whilst being accessible, they still hold a certain "mystique" for the traveller. "Bookings to Bulgaria have risen by 40% in the last six months and with the prospect of joining the EU in January 2007, we expect to see a significant increase in the number of tourists heading there to take advantage of the Euro," Mott added. Bulgaria, which shares borders with Romania, Turkey and Greece, has an extensive coastline along the edge of the Black Sea, the pan-European online travel company noted. A large number of holidaymakers and tourists are still choosing to travel to Australia, which came number five on the list, according to Opodo, ranking Brazil and India as sixth and seventh respectively. Dubai was listed as the eighth destination in the top ten, with China and South Africa coming in at number nine and number ten. Opodo predicts that the forthcoming Beijing Olympic games in 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, will help draw tourists to those nations.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria sees a constantly decreasing number of holidaymakers from Germany, Greece and other markets that are considered traditional for the country. In 2005, the number of Greek tourists was down 15%, there were 14% less Macedonians and 4% less Germans. Central European countries, including Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, have also shown lower interest, according to a report by Bulgaria's non-governmental Center for Economic Development. In the meantime, the number of Romanian visitors doubled. UK citizens also showed boosted interest and their number was up 36%. Among the other growing markets were Finland and Turkey. Bulgaria's tourism growth culminated in the past years and is now on the decrease, CED say.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

BA will be operating a new direct flight service to Varna from March 26th 2006, from Gatwick. Flights are Wednesday and Saturday. Prices are usually £55 each way + taxes. With some dates showing £125 or £155 for one way. You should be able to get a total price of £148.50 return incl tax.   

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New lowfare direct airline Oslo-Varna is launched from 06 May 2006 with Norwegian Air Shuttle  

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SkyEurope expands eastwards and enters Bulgaria and Romania  

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The third low-cost airline to Bulgaria the Italian Myair has been granted traffic rights to launch services to Sofia till the end of 2005.   

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Bulgaria has been included in the destination portfolios of a dozen Irish tour operators, said the Bulgarian Tourism Authority. Some 29,000 Irish tourists visited the country in '05, up 100% y/y. Also, the number of the Danish companies selling Bulgaria as a holiday destination has also increased, going from 15 to 17 after the recent tourism bourse in Copenhagen. The number of Danish tourists rose from 53,000 in '04 to 72,000 last year.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Finnish rock band Apocalyptica will inaugurate the summer tourism season in Bulgaria's Black Sea town Kavarna on June 1, Kavarna mayor Tsonko Tsonev announced. Apocalyptica's visit is part of their world tour and their only concert in Bulgaria will be in Kavarna, Tsonev explained. Tsonev managed to turn Kavarna into a rock capital on the Balkans Peninsula. After bringing rock dinosaurs Deep Purple, Saxxon, Ronnie James Dio, the energetic mayor braces for the new wave of rock with Scorpions, Accept, Destruction, Gamma Rey and Victory.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Greek Aegean Airlines will start servicing flights from Athens to Bulgaria's capital Sofia on March 27. The prices for one-way travel are set at EUR 98,00, EUR 16 of fuel surcharge included. The total charge for the return ticket is EUR 196. The prices do not include a EUR 60 airport tax. Aegean Airlines carried a total of 4,007,515 passengers last year, marking an increase of 12.3 percent on 2004. The company announced a 2-euro surcharge on tickets as fuel primage due to the high oil prices.  

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Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The summer of 2006 will turn out to be among the greatest experiences for all Bulgarian music fans as some of the greatest world music stars have already placed the Balkan country on their tour maps. Legendary Sting, Alice Copper, Ronny James Dio are only a small part of the world-known names that will come to bring ecstasy to their fans in Bulgaria on the invitation of the PickAndMore agency. Sting's fans will be delighted on June 12 in the Black Sea town Nessebar and will be part of his tour "Broken Music." Another pop icon Anastacia will once again take the stage in Nessebar in June. On June 30 another Black sea town - Kavarna - will welcome Alice Copper and Ronny James Dio. Both Copper and Dio have been to Bulgaria before. Copper one in Sofia and Dio three times. Finnish rock band Apocalyptica will inaugurate the summer tourism season in Bulgaria's Black Sea town Kavarna on July 1. On July 8 Nessebar will welcome Nazareth and Joe Satriani. Whitesnake will once again hit the stage in Kavarna on July 25 and last music show will be the concert of Simply Red in Nessebar on September 1.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's Tourism Authority has declared its full support and cooperation to Sofia 2014 bid. The recently appointed tourism chief Mario al-Jebourri and Sofia Mayor Boyko Borissov signed an agreement for strengthening the administrative and expert capacity of the two institutions to improve the bid's chances to win. As part of the accord, the municipality and the state agency will develop Sofia's tourist infrastructure and plan joint events promoting the hosting of 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Plans provide that Bulgarian venues, organized outside the capital city as well. Under the concept, the mountain pearls of Borovets and Bansko will focus the main activities to be part of the Olympic games. The project would cost more than USD 1 B to build, most of that for the alpine center at Bansko. The bid budget is seen at approximately USD 13 M. The first phase of the assessment by the IOC will be complete by June 22. Until then a group of experts and representatives of international sports federations will thoroughly assess the qualities of each city's bid. Seven cities will compete with Olympics 2014 bids, including also Salzburg, Almaty, Sochi, Borjomi, PyeongChang and Jaca.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria 's travel and tourism sector is expected to grow 6.3 % in 2006 and by 4.3 % per annum, in real terms, between 2007 and 2016, a survey of World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) shows. According to the survey tourism in Bulgaria in 2006 will generate USD 6725.6 million of economic activity. Bulgaria's travel and Tourism economy (direct and indirect impact) in 2006 is expected to account for 16 % of GDP and 400 000 jobs (13.6 % of total employment). These figures place Bulgaria on the 68th position in absolute size worldwide from a total of 174 countries represented in the survey and on the 43rd place in Relative Contribution to national economies. Travel and tourism in the Central and Eastern Europe in 2006 is expected to generate USD 244,631.3 B of economic activity. The Central and Eastern Europe travel and tourism is expected to grow 5.9 % in 2005 and by 5.8 % per annum, in real terms, between 2007 and 2016. Each year the World Travel & Tourism Council, together with its research partner Oxford Economic Forecasting, produces comprehensive reports that quantify and forecast the economic impact of Travel & Tourism for 174 economies and the world. WTTC's mission is to raise awareness of the full economic impact of the world's largest generator of wealth and jobs - Travel & Tourism.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Nearly 1 million Koreans are expected to come to Bulgaria's seaside after 2007, local media reports. Bulgaria's embassy in Seoul will make a special presentation of the Balkan country, 24 Hours daily reported Saturday. Official figures show that annually nearly 9 million Koreans travel around the world. In 2005 alone one million people from the Asian country have visited different European countries. Only 3,000 of these tourists, however, have visited Bulgaria and a 1/3 of them enjoyed Bulgaria's winter and summer resorts. Now the biggest Korean tourism agencies have been invited to the presentation and some of Bulgaria's tour operators will be asked to join it. The presentation scheduled for April will also be attended by diplomats from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Romania. Preliminary information shows that in May and June representatives of the biggest Korean tourism companies will make a tour in Bulgaria and the other 4 countries participants in the presentration.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

German concern TUI, Europe's largest travel company, has placed Bulgaria in its Top 10 of summer holiday hotspots. Bulgaria is placed on the tenth position in the prestigious TUI ranking for the priority summer 2006 destinations, Romanian newspaper Cotidianul reports. A spokesman from the German concern explained that Bulgaria is the hottest destination from the countries from Eastern Europe as over the last years it has considerably developed its hotels and infrastructure. The main reason for the tourists to chose Bulgaria is the great development of that destination. TUI has not included Romania in its list, Cotidianul points out. As main drawback of Romania as tourism destination in the lack of hotels and the poor infrastructure compared to Bulgaria. Greece, Egypt, Turkey, UK, Germany are also among the top ten destinations of TUI.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Tour operator TUI Nordic expects to sell 10% more Bulgarian holiday packages in '06 after assisting 65,000 Scandinavian tourists to book summer vacations here last year, said the company's local representative Valentin Yosifov. Bulgarian hoteliers are hoping Scandinavian tourists would offset the ebb on the German market where TUI is reporting a 15% y/y decline in bookings. TUI Nordic is financing a hotel in Tsarevo, South-eastern Bulgaria, which will cater exclusively to Swedish and Norwegian holiday-makers.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

"Investment has been the incentive for most buyers in Bulgaria, with off-plan apartments forming the bulk of sales. But a new trend is emerging as a growing number of Brits encounter the charms of this diverse country and opt to move there permanently", Independent wrote. Sunny Beach on the Black Sea Coast has so far drawn the most buyers, and signs of development are everywhere in this buzzing resort, the newspaper continues. The newspaper has talks to real estate experts explaining that most of UK buyers often opt for period properties in small villages. "Bulgaria has high unemployment and some of the lowest wages in Europe, around EUR 200 per month, and this alone will attract companies to base themselves there, resulting in many more British employees being relocated", Independent cited an British real estate expert as saying. Prices on Bulgaria's coast have risen significantly in the last few years, many agents reporting year-on-year rises of 25% in most resorts and even 100% in certain hotspots but, while investors are attracted to the coastline, people moving permanently often prefer to be based inland.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The value of Internet payments made by Bulgarians using Visa credit cards zoomed up by over 100% in 2005, shows data of the international credit card company released on Wednesday, March 15. The value of electronic payments to non-native vendors topped $14.3 mln, up 126.7% over 2004, while their number posted an year-on-year gain of 195% to 155,000. In the Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Bulgaria trailed only Romania in terms of the value of electronic Visa payments in 2005. Romania also came tops in the ranking for the highest year-on-year growth in the value of online Visa payments with 160.8%, followed by Serbia and Montenegro with 149.7%, Bulgaria and Croatia with 84%. Internet users in Bulgaria last year were estimated at 2.2 mln from a population of 8 mln. The number of Visa credit cards issued in Bulgaria was reported at 584,000 at the end of 2005. Bulgarians used bank cards to pay online for goods and services worth 42 mln levs, according to data of national card operator BORICA. The company does not track online transaction initiated with cards issued by United Bulgarian Bank and DZI Bank which have stand-alone ATM networks. Most online payers use ePay.bg. BORICA said the portal registered 645,000 payments in 2005. The value of the average transaction via ePay.bg was 38 levs. The overall number of online payments with bank cards rose by 102.3% in 2005 while their value was up 115.6%.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

British Airways will open a regular Varna-London service on Mar 29. The flight will be performed on Wednesday and Saturdays until the end of May. Two more flights will be added from June 6. Return fares will start from 150 euro. Low-cost carrier Thomsonfly, a unit of Thomson Holidays, will also launch flights from London to Varna and Bourgas in May. According to preliminary information, return Varna-London fares will start from 239 British pounds. Flights to Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff will also be available from Varna this summer. Thomsonfly will perform its inaugural flight to Bourgas on May 26. The company will fly to the coastal Bulgarian city from Doncaster and Sheffield. Fares will start at 126 British pounds. A temporary passenger terminal will be built at the Varna airport ahead of the summer onrush, said airport director Yanko Yankov. The overall cost of the measures that will be implemented to improve ground services for the upcoming tourist season is 3.2 mln levs.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

The ITB international tourism fair that wrapped up in Berlin confirmed Bulgaria's declining popularity as a holiday destination on the German market. German tour operators ITS and TUI said bookings are currently lagging the year-ago period by 5% and 20%, respectively. Both companies reported a y/y drop in bookings in '05. Bookings at another major German tour operator, Alltours, are 1% below the year-ago mark. The pullback is attributed to the overbuilding of Bulgarian sea resorts, the poor infrastructure and inadequate advertising.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgarian private carrier Hemus Air will launch flights from Sofia to London and Berlin from April 9 and intends to operate a regular service to all European capitals within 2 years, said the company's executive director Dimitar Pavlov. Hemus Air will fly to London's Heathrow Airport on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays. Hemus Air will become the first Bulgaria carrier to resume flights to Heathrow after the landing and take-off slots of bankrupt national flag-carrier Balkan Airlines were sold for Gatwick slots. The flights to Berlin will be available on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. The return fares to London and Berlin start at 199 euro without airport charges. Hemus Air said it is also in talks with potential partners to launch flights to Istanbul. Pavlov said the company will try to join one of the existing airline alliances. The company executive confirmed Hemus Air's interest in the upcoming privatisation of national flag-carrier Bulgaria Air. The flag-carrier is in bad shape and should be privatised as soon as possible, said Pavlov. The privatisation of the flag-carrier should be used by the Bulgaria air carriers as an opportunity to form an alliance, said Pavlov, adding that the native airlines will find life very difficult after Bulgaria joins the Open Skies agreement in the fall. The privatisation strategy requires eligible strategic investors to have sales of 150 mln euro for each of the past 2 years and 750,000 passengers, a requirement that none of the local carriers can meet. Hemus Air, owned by Balkan Hemus Group, intends to bid for Bulgaria Air in the capacity of financial investor via the Central Co-operative Bank (CCB). According to the DAXI legal information system, Balkan Hemus Group is wholly-owned by foreign trade company Chimimport. Chimimport owns CCB Asset Management which, in turn, controls CCB. Liechtenstein-registered Chiminvest Institute owns 98% of Chimimport.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Recent years have seen a revival in Bulgarian winemaking, London-based Decanter Magazine wrote in its March issue. There is an almost infectious enthusiasm for a new wave of high-quality wines, according to the story. It pointed out the intense inflow of foreign investments, and the role of EU cash through SAPARD. "Bulgaria is the new Eldorado for wine," a French winemaker was quoted as saying. Marc Dworkin is in charge of the Bessa Valley project at Pazardjik near Plovdiv. Decanter recalled that in its communist past Bulgaria was one of the four favourite sources of red wine. The attention that the country is getting now as a tourism hotspot should be an opportunity fir Bulgaria to get itself back on the wine map, the magazine suggests.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's tourism sector will need additional state support, should the authorities lift the currently used state preferences, it appeared after a meeting between Bulgaria's president and representatives of the tourism sector. Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov, Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, Mario Al-Jebouri, chair of the State Tourism Agency and representatives of the tourism sector in the country discussed the main problems in that field. More than an hour they debated on the problems of the tourism sector and the taxing policy. Tourism sector has a special place in the efforts for Bulgaria's adaptation to the EU demands, President Parvanov underlined. One of the main problems for the tourism business in connected to the taxing policy and Sofia's capability to synchronize it obeying the EU demand, he also pointed out. The plans for increasing of the VAT of 7% to 20% for the tourism sector are among the main concerns of the tourism representatives.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgarians tend to travel more outside the country, according to data published on Saturday. Last year cross-border travels increased by 9.1% as compared to 2004. The state radio said that Bulgarians realized more than 4.2 million trips in a year. Most of those were travelling for business. Neighbours Turkey, Greece and Serbia and Montenegro were the most popular destinations for the trips, according to the fresh report. But it was Finland, Ireland and Luxembourg that saw the most rapid increase in Bulgarians' interest.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgarian votes will be included in an influential world survey on favourite travel destinations. The next edition of the annual Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse Survey will reflect the Bulgarian preferences for the first time, media said. Bulgarians will be able to vote via an online form, available until April 19 on the website of the Usit Colours travel agency. Last year, voters rated Australia as the most desirable place to visit next. The land of kangaroos was followed by Chile, Brazil, New Zealand and India. Australia also topped the list of favourite destinations that travellers had previously visited, followed by the ever popular Italy, Thailand, New Zealand and France. Almost 20 000 respondents from 167 countries took part in the vote.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's capital Sofia and the seaside resorts of Nessebar and Tsarevo will be introduced to international tourism professionals, starting Sunday. Ten Bulgarian firms are taking part in Moscow's ITM 2006. The expo is universally recognised as the leading travel industry event for Russia. Companies from 46 countries have signed up for the event. Bulgaria's representatives will provide other participants with information about the country's tourism advantages. But the most attractive part will probably be the tasting of Bulgarian wines. Organizers have declared March 21 the Day of Bulgaria in the framework of the forum.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Low-cost carrier Germanwings sees promising potential in Southern and Eastern Europe, Joachim Klein, member of Germanwings board of directors, was quoted as saying by Global Travel Industry News. Currently, the Balkan destinations serviced by Germanwings are Athens, Thessaloniki, Ankara, Antalya, Istanbul, Izmir, Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik. Sources from the Bulgarian tourism industry confirmed that Germanwings is indeed eyeing the Bulgarian market but currently performs only occasional charter flights for tour operators TUI, ITS and Thomas Cook. The sources said Germanwings will launch flights to and from Bulgaria after the country joins the Open Skies agreement this October. The Bulgarian air travel market already accommodates 2 budget carriers. Hungary's Wizz Air started flying to and from Sofia in late 2005 and plans to add Bourgas to its destinations this summer. Slovakia's SkyEurope also flies to Sofia and intends to launch a service to Varna and Bourgas this summer.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Hungarian travel companies Utas Tours, TGV Tours, Jalta Tours, Avantgarde and Gulet Touristik have added Bulgaria to their '06 catalogues after the UTAZAS tourism fair that wrapped up in Budapest. Bulgaria reported a fractional drop in the number of Hungarian arrivals last year when they topped 44,520. A total of 20 tour operators market Bulgaria as a holiday destination in Hungary.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

The Bulgarian parliament approved on Thursday the strategy for the privatisation of a 99.9% stake in national flag-carrier Bulgaria Air. The two-stage competitive procedure is open to strategic and financial investors but not consortia thereof. The Bulgarian state will retain a golden share and will ensure post-privatisation control options in a bid to prevent a repeat of the privatisation flop with Bulgaria Air's predecessor Balkan Airlines. Eligible candidates will be strategic investors domiciled in Bulgaria wherein at least 51% are held by Bulgarian individuals or corporate entities or individuals or corporate entities from the EU or the member states of the European Free Trade Association. The strategic investors will be required to certify annual proceeds of at least 100 mln euro for each of the past two years and traffic of at least 750,000 passengers Eligible financial investors should certify 250 mln euro in assets or 150 mln euro in equity. The investor will be expected to raise the carrier's capital from 13 mln to 30.1 mln levs.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Thomson and Portland Holiday Direct, units of tour operator TUI UK, plan to increase the number of Bulgarian holiday packages sold in Britain to 70,000 this year, up from 33,000 in '05, Dnevnik learned from TUI Bulgaria manager Valentin Yosifov. TUI's carrier Thomsonfly will offer charter flights to Bulgarian coastal cities Varna and Bourgas this summer. No schedule has been announced for the upcoming charter service. Portland Holiday Direct markets 8 hotels in Bulgarian sea resorts Zlatni Pyasatsi, Slanchev Bryag and Obzor. The Thomson website does not list the out operator's affiliate hotels in Bulgaria. In contrast to TUI UK and Thomas Cook, the other British tour operators selling Bulgarian packages have reported a slowdown in bookings for the summer holidays. First Choice said the year-on-year decline in bookings was 20% in early March. Balkan Holidays-London was 3-4% behind the year-ago figures. My Travel was doing 5% better year-on-year but that company operates with a very limited capacity in Bulgaria. Britain is the second most important foreign market for Bulgaria's tourism industry after Germany.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria was declared top overseas property hotspot in a ranking of a London consultancy that compared the total return on cash in real estate markets. With yields rising to 12 per cent and capital gains remaining impressive at 36 per cent, Assetz assessed the total return on cash invested in Bulgaria at 116 per cent last year. This statistic has pushed Bulgaria above Cyprus in the chart for total returns on cash invested, backing up the popular claim that Bulgaria is now comparable to Spain in the 1980s. While experts have been predicting for a number of years that Bulgaria will emerge as a leading choice for investors, the new research firmly positions the country at the top of the chart, says Stuart Law, managing director of Assetz. The Assetz research suggests that the steep incline in house price increases will level off to some extent before the year's end, but market growth is expected to remain high. "The ski resorts of Bansko and Borovets continue to draw a huge amount of interest from property seekers, with significant construction projects now underway to accommodate the demand."

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

British low-cost air carrier easyJet will start to fly from London's Gatwick airport to Croatian cities Rijeka and Split from this summer, reports breakingtravelnews.com. The company's regional reach includes also Athens, Istanbul and Ljubljana. EasyJet has been tipped as one of the budget carrier interested in using the Sofia airport. The Bulgarian capital is already on the destination rosters of no-frills carriers Wizz Air, SkyEurope and My Air.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Revenues from Bulgarian hunting tourism have increased by half a million levs on a year-on-year basis. In 2005 Bulgaria cashed in BGN 4.2 M (about EUR 2.1 M) from this type of tourism, Deputy Agriculture Minister Stefan Yurukov announced on Wednesday. Yet, compared to the 80s of the previous century, revenues drastically slumped by 50%. According to data from the National Forestry Authority, nearly half of all 3044 acting registered hunters in the country were Bulgarians. Foreigners are getting more and more intrigued to come on a hunt here, Yurukov said. Predominantly they come from Germany, Spain and France. Sofia opened Wednesday an international exhibition running under the motto Nature, Hunting, and Fishery, attended by 168 firms from 21 countries.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Traffic via the passenger cruise terminal in Varna is seen at 20,000 this year, up from 11,500 in '05, said Valentin Kitanov, chief of the terminal facility. The number of cruise ships at that will dock at the terminal will increase to 16 from 11 in '05. The first cruise ship for this year's season is expected to arrive on Mar 28.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

103 millionaires from Austria, Germany, and Italy gathered to try out the slopes of Bulgaria's skiing resort of Bansko for a couple of days. The business moguls were invited by the resort's concessionary Yulem Stockholding Company. Bulgaria's State Tourism Agency head Mario Al-Jebouri also joined the skiers for a couple of quick rides. He then held a lecture on the advantages of the winter tourism in Bulgaria. The foreigners were very pleased with the resort and admitted that they expected a lot less from Bulgaria. Bansko is in no way inferior than many world-class resorts, they commented.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's higher quality of services and lower prices are beyond comprehension for Romanians, Romania's newspaper Cotidianul wrote in an article entitled "Romania Lost Tourism War to Bulgaria". The article attributes the successful development of Bulgaria's tourism to the privatisation of hotels, the contracts with powerful tour operators and the flow of investments. "The hotels were modernized and brought up to international standards. In this way the money, given by giants such as TUI and Neckermann, gave yields through tourist packages at low prices. Bulgarians got both money and international tourists, including many a Romanians." When tourism revenues for 2004 were totalled in Romania, the price tag was a mere EUR 505 M, against EUR 2,2 B in Bulgaria, Cotidianul points out.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

EU-based railway carriers will gain access to the Bulgarian market when the country's admitted to the union, say the amendments to the Railway Transport Act posted for discussion on the website of the transport ministry. Bulgaria has so far licensed only 2 private railway carriers, Bulmarket and National Railway Company. The new-comers will pay to the national railway infrastructure operator a user charge set by the government. The new bill also envisages the award of concession contracts for railway sections that are not part of pan-European corridors.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria is being presented as a tourism destination at the Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market that kicked off on Monday to continue to April 5. Bulgaria is participating in the event for the second time, the State Tourism Agency explained. Last year Bulgaria's stand was visited by 2,088 representatives of the Chinese tourism industry. A total of 31 destinations were presented. China is one of the potential markets for the Bulgarian tourism. The Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market is taking place for the second time and is only opened for professionals. As a part of the demands of the Chinese government Bulgaria was declared for an official destination. So far the biggest obstacle for the Bulgarian and Chinese tourists is the lack of direct flights between the two countries.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

After the political support voiced by British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Bulgaria's route to the EU, we are now looking for the business' support, President Georgi Parvanov told the Lord Mayor of the City of London David Brewer and business representatives. Over the last few years Bulgaria is known for its stable macroeconomic indexes and high levels of growth of the investments. Therefore we ask you to support our ambitions for diversification of the structure of the exchange of merchandise between the two countries, Parvanov said. In Parvanov's words Bulgaria is expecting a greater interest from UK companies in the IT sector, the banking field, energy and tourism. The Lord Mayor of the City of London David Brewer voiced his support to Bulgaria's timely EU entry. In his speech he pointed out that some 40-50 UK companies are working in different sectors in Bulgaria, underlining, however, that there is a greater potential for the business relations. The reforms in the judicial system will surely attract new investments, Brewer added.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Greek Aegean Airlines started servicing flights from Athens to Bulgaria's capital Sofia every day in support of the growing efforts of Greek businesses to penetrate the markets of Eastern Europe. The maiden flight took place on March 27, but the company is and is about to disclose its further plans in Sofia next week. The flights' schedule is designed to serve both business travelers, as well as passengers traveling to Sofia for tourism and recreation. The price for one-way travel is set at EUR 98, including EUR 16 of fuel surcharge. The total charge for a round-trip ticket is EUR 196. The prices do not include a EUR 60 airport tax. Aegean Airlines carried a total of 4,007,515 passengers last year, marking an increase of 12.3% on 2004. AEGEAN continues to seek government permission to add flights to other Balkan destinations like Istanbul and Bucharest and is also interested in Cairo in North Africa.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Czech budget carrier Smart Wings was quoted by news agency SeeNews as saying on Mon it would launch flights from Prague to the Bulgarian Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas in June '06. Flights will be operated two times a week, on Tuesday and Friday, the company said in a statement published on its website. At present, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air and Slovak-based SkyEurope operate in Bulgaria. Sector companies like Norwegian Air Shuttle and Italian Myair.com also plan to launch flights to the Balkan country in '06, said SeeNews.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

A total of 700 tourists from the Austrian Pensioners' Association are to arrive for a vacation at the Bulgarian posh resort Albena. In the days to May 18 some 1300 Austrian tourists will come to the Black Sea resort. They will be aquatinted with Bulgaria's his history and will visit several cultural and historical treasures in Balchik, Varna and Nessebar.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The National union of the Bulgarian tourism industry will be established on April 25. The new organization will unite the Bulgarian hoteliers and restaurateurs association (BHRA), the Bulgarian association of the tourism agencies (BATA) and the Bulgarian tourism chamber (BTC). Donka Sokolova, BATA chair, told local Darik radio that there should be such an organization that would protect the interests of the companies working in that sector. BHRA chair Blagoy Ragin called for the organizations to solve all problems between them ahead of unification. The tourism sector is one of the fastest growing fields of Bulgaria's economy.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

While property investment in Spain has rarely been off the radar for years now, emerging property markets including Bulgaria and Cyprus have inevitably stolen some of the limelight, UK experts believe. House price growth has remained strong in Spain, however, and investors continue to flock to the country with the intention of making considerable returns, both through rental income and capital gains, the website of London real estate consultancy Assetz commented. According to Spain Herald average house prices in Spain are now higher than EUR 6,000 per square metre in nine cities in the country. Figures from the Tecnitasa property valuation company show that Sevilla, Oviedo and Zaragoza have now joined the elite list that already includes Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Marbella and Santander.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The municipal council of Balchik, on the Black Sea, has granted a 35-year concession for the civic yacht port to the Marina-Balchik consortium which lodged the only bid for the contract. The concessionaire undertakes to invest 2 mln levs in the facility, increasing the moorage capacity from the current 60 yacht berths to 160. A yacht marina is also planned further south in the resort of St.Vlas. The investor, Venid-Yacht, plans to build a facility for up to 300 vessels.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria as a tourism destination will be presented at the 28th edition international tourism bourse in Belgrade - IFTS'06. More than 520 national and regional companies will be presented at the expo that opened doors Wednesday. In 2005 534,474 tourists from Serbia and Monte Negro have visited Bulgaria. The main interest of the Serbian and Montenegrin tourists was in Bulgaria's sea and winter ski tourism, the State Tourism Agency announced. They have showed an increasing interest in the southern Black Sea region - Nessebar, Sunny beach, Sozopol and in the posh winter resorts of Borovets and Bansko.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

British Airways announced it is slashing prices to almost all short-haul European destinations. The company is the first traditional airliner to down one-ways by up to 50% of the total charge for a round-trip ticket for all classes. The fare for a one-way ticket from Sofia to London is cut down to EUR 80, airport taxes excluded. British Airways announced low fares for the Club Europe class to London's Gatwick airport. The new fares for the business class start from EUR 362, airport taxes excluded, down from the current EUR 1339. With the new prices of two-way tickets, the cut for the most popular destinations in Bulgaria averages EUR 60. Two-way ticket holders can change the date of their travel at the price of EUR 50. By reducing its fares, British Airways throws down the gauntlet to low cost airlines easyJet and Ryanair. Besides, the airliner will continue to offer its traditional extras, including free food and drink on all flights.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Tour operator Balkan Holidays said the number of British tourists that visited Bulgaria's ski resorts Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo during the '05-'06 winter season rose 35% to 25,000, said Ilia Chuturkov, the company's marketing and advertising manager. Some 165,000 Britons booked vacations in Bulgaria last year through Balkan Holidays, up 50% y/y. Earlier this year, the company reported a 3-4% dip in bookings for the upcoming summer season.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Busses in Berlin will be adorned with ads of a new tourist destination - Bulgaria - Mario Al-Jebouri, head of the State Tourism Agency, announced. Nine bus lines in some of the most-populated areas of Berlin will advertise the Balkan hotspot to all the passers-by, Al-Jebouri has said. This was a trendy, unorthodox, and not so expensive way to tempt foreign tourists with Bulgaria's beauties, he added. The advertisements will say "Destination Bulgaria" and will bear the contact info of the Bulgarian embassy in Germany and of the State Tourism Agency. The Agency is also planning to open Bulgarian tourist offices in countries where tourism is highly developed. Germany, Russia, Spain and the UK are among the counties where such offices may soon open doors. Companies that have business interests in these countries will finance the offices, which will have the statute of a national tourist centre.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

A festival in Bulgaria's far south has tried to rediscover the connection between local tourism and wine-producing traditions. "Wine and Tourism" filled the sunny town of Sandanski with good mood for a total of three days, media reported. Its aim was to boost the partnership between local tourism complexes and the wineries. This year, ten Bulgarian companies took part in the fest. But, according to a report of the state radio BNR, organizers have the ambition to draw international interest for the forum.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's State Tourism Agency has its own stand at the Arabian Travel Market tourism exhibition that opens Tuesday in Dubai's World Trade Center. During the following four days the Arabian Travel Market will gather exhibitors of over 90 countries, in what promises to be the must attend tourist event in the region. Bulgaria offers excellent conditions for family recreation, eco-tourism, cultural, rural, conference, hunting, balneotherapy, seaside, and skiing tourism, the event's website states. Along with the exhibition, the Arabian Travel Market offers seminars and a golf tournament.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria's flag carrier has added to its summer schedule regular flights from the Black Sea coast of Varna to a number of European capitals, the city airport announced. Bulgaria Air and Austrian Airlines will jointly service daily flights from Varna to Vienna. British Airways will fly with the Bulgarian air company to London every Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. As of June 6 British Airways plans to add another two flights to its schedule, to be conducted on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Bulgarian flag carrier will fly every Thursday from the Varna airport to Amsterdam (as of May 18), to Madrid (every Friday as of June 2), and Milan (as of July 5). During the summer period Malév Hungarian Airlines will operate flights from Varna to Budapest on every day of the week but Monday.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

European tour operator TUI expects to sell 10% more Bulgarian holiday packages to Austrian customers in '06, said the company's local rep Valentin Yosifov. The bookings, seen at 6,000 this year, will be made through TUI's subsidiary Gulet Touristik. TUI partners with the Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air and Air Via.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

The airport in the city of Varna, on the Black Sea, kicked off its '06 charter program with 26 domestic and international flights on May 1, said Ivilina Koeva from the airport's press office. The airport will process 1,225 charter flights in May. Over 10 new air carriers will fly to the Varna airport this summer. A total of 50 airlines will be using the facility. The number of flights is expected to increase 10% this year. The airport services 1.5 mln passengers in 2005. The biggest gain was recorded by regular business services. Hungary's Malev and the Austrian Airlines and the airport's top 2 ticket sellers.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria will be presented as a tourism destination at the international expo MITF '2006 in Moscow. The country's presentation is organized by the State Tourism Agency. The Moscow International Travel Fair will be held in Moscow in May11 to 14. It provides the tourism companies with helpful information ahead of the Summer 2006 season and is an important part of the advertising campaign of Bulgaria as a tourism destination on the Russian market. MITF 2006 is being organized by the Committee for tourism, Moscow City Government, International Travel Fairs and Moscow Exhibition & Convention Agency.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

RAK Airways, a UAE air carrier based in Ras Al Khaimah, said it may launch flights to Bulgaria as the Balkan state could offer onward connections for UAE-bound European travellers. The base of the air carrier is 70 km from Dubai. Bulgarian general consul to UAE Milen Keremedchiev said the two sides could create a joint venture company to fly between Ras Al Khaimah and Sofia.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria's biggest yacht marina, Marina Dinevi, will open near the St.Vlas resort on the Black Sea in June, said Georgi Mihov from Venid-Yacht, the local company that will manage the facility. Venid Yacht is owned by construction company Dinevi&Co. The marina capacity is around 300 yachts, including moorage room for up to 50 boats with 4 m draft and length exceeding 25 m. Marina Dinevi, which will open with 50% capacity on June 15, will also offer yachts for hire. There are several marinas with capacity of 60 to 130 yachts along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Sailing aficionados can dock at the Zlatni Pyasatsi and Sunny Day resorts and the city of Balchik.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria will see the building of a new winter resort near Smolyan in the Rhodope Mountains. "Sports and Tourism Centre Perelik" plan to invest over EUR 255 M - an amount that won them a first class investment certificate by the State Investments Agency. This is the third such certificate given to a Bulgarian investor. The resort will include facilities for both winter sports and summer tourism, reports say. Skiing tracks will spread over 55 kilometres in total, and there will also be 24 lift lines and various hotels.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

More than 150 new hotels, guest houses and holiday complexes were registered between December 2005 and May 2006 in Bulgarian ski resort town Bansko, in the Pirin mountain. The bed capacity of the resort now stands at 7,000. Over 100 mln euro were invested in construction in Bansko last year, shows an overview of the Center for Economic Development (CED). The CED report describes Bansko as the most rapidly developing Bulgarian ski resort. The number of visitors to the resort increased 20% to 600,000 in 2005, said the report. The main challenge facing Bansko is the shortage of language-skilled staff, said CED.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Bulgaria's capital Sofia and the winter resorts were among the most preferred destinations for the foreign tourists in the wintertime, it appeared Tuesday. For the first three months of the year Sofia attracted the attention of the greatest part of the foreigners that came to Bulgaria, data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) showed. Some 73,219 foreigners were accommodated as Sofia hotels that registered revenues of over BGN 16 M for the local tourism. Sofia municipality is occupying the second place in the number of foreigners accommodated in its hotels. NSI explains these figures with the fact that two of the countries best winter resorts - Bansko and Borovets are in that area. In January-March some 35,601 foreigners were accommodated in the municipality and it recorded revenues of almost BGN 4,2 M. The other two major resorts Pamporovo and Chepelare are part of the Smolyan region and therefore it is ranked third in the number of foreigners accommodated in the winter. The number of the foreigners that visited the region is 18,915 and the revenues registered are BGN 6 M. The southern region of Blagoevgrad, which turned into a university centre, is occupying the fourth place in the ranking. In the first months of 2006 some 21,783 foreigners were accommodated in Blagoevgrad area. The NSI figures also showed that in the first three months of the year some 602,948 tourists were accommodated in the Bulgarian hotels, some 192,906 of them were foreigners. Bulgaria boasts 1216 hotels with 79,725 beds. Black Sea capital Varna leads the ranking in hotels beds number with 11,625 beds located in 106 hotels. In Smolyan municipality, however, there are 169 hotels with 7,854 beds.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The Samokov municipality may become the king-maker among the shareholders of Rila Samokov 2004, a company specially incorporated to implement the Super Borovets project, if a June 12 general meeting approves a proposal to adopt a 4/5 majority rule for management decisions. Rila Samokov 2004 is co-owned by Contract 99 (51%), a company of late banker Emil Kyulev now passed on to his wife Vesela Kyuleva and a son from a previous marriage, construction company Glavbolgarstroy (16%), the Samokov municipality (25%) and Energokomplekt (8%). Rila Samokov 2004 is governed by a 9-member managing board where Contract 99 has 5 seats, the Samokov municipality has 2 and the other shareholders have one each. The municipality has paid for its shareholder seat with the contribution of 200 ha of land that will be used for the purposes of the Super Borovets project. A general meeting of shareholders earlier this year failed due to the Samokov municipality's demands for more executive powers within Rila Samokov 2004, especially when it comes to property transactions. Kyulev's heirs initially resisted but Samokov mayor Angel Nikolov threatened that if the demands of the municipality are rejected by the other shareholders, it could back out of Rila Samokov 2004, effectively pulling the on the project. Glavbolgarstroy general manager Simon Peshov and Plamen Gochev, who represents the interests of Kyulev's heirs, denied rumours that the Super Borovets project was up for sale. Gochev admitted, however, that several banks and 5 investment funds have indicated their interest in the project. The plan for this year is to start the construction of the gondola lift linking the lower part of the resort with the Markudjitsite ski runs, said Peshov. The Super Borovets should be implemented in 3 stages. The bed capacity of the resort was planned to increase to 8,000 in 2006. During the 2007-2010 stage, a new 8,000-bed vacation village will be constructed near Samokov with development reaching the Novi Iskar area. Swimming pools, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor stadia and an 18-hole golf course will also be added during this stage of the project. In 2010-2015, Rila Samokov 2004 will develop the Shumnatitsa, Byalata Polyana, Gvardeiska Polyana and Mecha Glava areas above 1,400 m. This will be the 5-star segment of the resort with a total of 1,200 beds. The combined length of the ski runs should be increased from 38 km to 59 km with total capacity of the facilities for 10,400 skiers an hour.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Megastars Depeche Mode, who will perform in Bulgaria in two weeks, will be surprised to find the famous Simpson family in the audience. The Simpsons have "arrived" in Bulgaria and will tour numerous cities, visiting concerts and starring in TV shows. The visit of the messy but charming family was organized by the Bulgarian division of Fox Life, in cooperation with local mobile operator Vivatel. Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and baby Maggie Simpson had their first meeting with Bulgarian reporters on Thursday, announcing plans to visit a number of cities in the country - including Pleven, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Russe, and Stara Zagora. They will also join thousands in what is seen to be the top music event in Bulgaria this summer - Depeche Mode's June 21 concert. The Simpsons will travel to the seaside and see Sting's show on June 12, too. Cartoon fans in Bulgaria have been following the life of the Simpsons since last year.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgarians will be able to travel without visas for a stay of up to 90 days in Israel, according to a bilateral draft agreement. The document removing visa requirements for citizens of either state was approved Thursday by the Bulgarian cabinet. Under the draft agreement, job seekers visiting either country will be required to apply and obtain a respective visa entry in accordance with the national legislation. The bilateral accord is expected to be signed June 11-12, during a scheduled official visit of the Israeli President Moshe Katsav to Bulgaria.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria officially joined the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA). The European Union signed an agreement for the creation of a European Common Aviation Area with Bulgaria, seven more countries from South Eastern Europe, Norway and Iceland. The others include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. Bulgaria's Transport Minister Petar Mutafchiev signed in Luxembourg the agreement that would give airlines unrestricted access to the region's skies. He commented that Bulgaria's Parliament is to ratify the agreement within two months. The European Commission says the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) will create a seamless and efficient European air transport network, linking European people, countries and cultures, and play a vital role in the further integration and development of Europe as a whole. The negotiations on the ECAA Agreement with the South East European partners were launched in March 2005 and took less than a year. Bulgaria's government approved an agreement for establishing the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) at the end of April. The agreement would give Bulgarian airliners the right to operate in member states without permission from the air traffic administration. The number of air carriers, which operate to and from Bulgaria, is expected to increase, together with the airports' revenues. Forecasts say the price of air carriers' tickets will go down. Forecasts for aircraft movement between the EU and southeast Europe predict an average annual growth rate of more than 6% per annum between 2005 and 2011. As tourism is a growth area in the coastal regions in southeast Europe with potentially 414 airports in the region, there is an opportunity for further expansion.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

Bulgaria has opened its civil aviation market to competition with the signing June 9 of European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) pact. The EU agreed the pact with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and the U.N. mission in Kosovo. The pact would allow airlines to fly freely within the area, without limitations set previously under state-by-state bilateral agreements. ECAA would also improve safety standards, boost competition and establish similar rights for consumers, the European Commission said. The Bulgarian transport ministry said it will name the local enforcement date for the pact within a couple of weeks Bulgarian carriers gain unrestricted access to all airports covered by the pact.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

A special prepared leaflet presenting Bulgaria as an attractive tourism destination is to attract more Dutch tourists to the Balkan country. The leaflet was prepared by Bulgaria's Embassy in the Netherlands, the Service for trade and economic relations - Hague and the Bulgarian Tourism Informational Bureau. It is to be presented to leading Dutch tour operators, media representatives and state institutions. During the presentation Bulgaria's State Tourism Agency Deputy Chair Hristo Hristov will present the tourism opportunities in the Balkan country. Over the last few years the Netherlands is one of the most interesting European markets with a growth of 47,63% for 2005 as compared to the previous year. Sea vacation, culture tours, mountain tourism and ski are among the Bulgarian tourism packages mostly preferred by the Dutch tourists. Bulgaria is included in more than 30 of the biggest Dutch tour operators.

Source: Sofia News Agency, www.novinite.com and www.sofianewsagency.com

The Bulgarian government has picked Germany's Fraport to run two large airports in the Black Sea tourist hotspots of Varna and Bourgas, a government source familiar with the process told news agency Reuters on Wednesday. Earlier, the EU candidate's transport ministry said the cabinet had agreed to award the 35-year concession but would not name the winner until the decision was published in the state gazette later this week or next. 'It's Fraport,' said the source, who did not wish to be named. Eager to remove bottlenecks and modernise the gateways to its booming tourism industry ahead of its planned 2007 EU entry, Bulgaria wants to hand the coastal terminals over to the winner this summer. The government had previously signed a 526-million-euro ($661.6 million) deal allowing Copenhagen Airports (CPH) to operate the terminals last June, said Reuters. But a court annulled the contract following appeals from Fraport and a tie-up of France's Vinci Airports and Vinci Concession which had ranked second and third in the tender, respectively. The two airports lie 130 km apart on the Black Sea and are the main conduit for tourists travelling to Bulgaria's bourgeoning coastal resorts. The outdated terminals handled 2 mln passengers each last year and are expected to benefit further from an expected rise in tourism and EU membership, said the news agency. In a bid revealed last year, Fraport offered to invest 176 mln euro in the airports through 2009 and more than 400 mln through the concession's total lifespan. It also offered to pay the government a concession fee of 16.8% of total revenues. Fraport said it had yet to hear about the decision. 'We assume a decision will come soon. We have not heard anything yet,' a spokesman from the company in Germany told Reuters. Transport ministry spokeswoman Valia Luleva was quoted by Reuters as saying the cabinet could not announce the name of the concession winner before it was published because that would violate procedure.

Source: news.dnevnik.bg

Borosport AD, the company managing the skiing facilities in Bulgarian mountain resort Borovets, said it has imported U.S. hydroseeding equipment for the maintenance and recultivation of the resort's ski runs, becoming the first local user of this modern technology for the redevelopment of soil disturbed areas. Hydro-seeding consists of appl