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Days of Preparations
Sofia Echo Com, 04.04.2005
CONSTRUCTION of new high-class hotels in Bulgaria’s winter ski resorts, while regarded as discouraging tourists while work is continuing, is still seen as a necessary step towards meeting the needs of foreign tourists. Due to open in May 2005, the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena will be the most upscale location in the resort of Bansko. Located at the ski slopes and opposite the newly-built modern Gondola, the hotel is being marketed as the ideal all-season resort. Designed in an authentic Alpine style, the hotel will offer 159 rooms and suites located in five buildings. It is to have several restaurants, bars and lounges, such as The Gallery, with direct access to the slopes, Come Prima, with Italian cuisine, and Bella Vista and a Cigar Lounge. Throughout the seasons, the hotel’s 1200 sq m spacious Zalez Spa Health Centre will provide guests with massages, saunas, and other types of body-relaxing treatments. The town of Bansko is of remarkable cultural and historical importance for Bulgaria. Not only is the the view towards the imposing Pirin Mountain impressive, but there is also the completely preserved architecture of its houses, museums, churches, cosy taverns and the authentic folklore. As the second Kempinski hotel in Bulgaria is making its final preparations for its launch in May, Bulgarian tour operators are gearing up for the Russian tourists they will be bringing to this country by the end of 2005. From March 23 to March 26, they participated with great success in the 12th Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (MITT). More than 60 companies selling holidays and tours in Bulgaria took part in MITT 2005, and the Bulgarian stand occupied 405 sq m of exhibition space, double the size at the previous exhibition. Visitors, too, showed substantially heightened interest in Bulgaria. Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece are expected to form this year’s “golden tourist triangle”. The three countries’ stands were close to one another. Nearly 60 per cent more Russian tourists visited Bulgaria during the winter season, and they were pleasantly surprised by Pamporovo and Bansko, winter resorts that are not that well known among Russians. Holiday opportunities in Nessebur, Pomorie and Smolyan were displayed at the exhibition in Moscow. “Russian tourists know Bulgaria, but it is now a new, much more interesting and modern destination,” Deputy Economy Minister Dimitar Hadjinikolov said, quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA. According to Agency for Tourism executive director Bisser Yalumov, it is possible that there will be a 30 per cent increase in Russian tourists this summer. For the new season, Bulgaria is pinning its hopes on ecotourism, youth programmes, and historic sightseeing tours, such as visits to the Thracian sanctuaries, as well as programmes for elderly people and spa tourism. The trend among Russian tourists now is to want higher class service, and four- and five-star hotels, and investments in Bulgarian resorts are in line with this trend. see source
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