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Ski Season in Bulgaria's Pamporovo
Sofia Echo Com, 13.03.2006
The 2005-2006 ski season in Bulgaria got off to a tremendous start. The three major winter resorts - Pamporovo, Borovets and Bansko - celebrated the start of the winter season with firework displays, festivities and parties. Hotels and tour operators predicted a bumper year and recent findings are proving them to be true, especially for the Pamporovo ski resort. Hotels have been logging record bookings for all of Bulgaria’s winter resorts. Pamporovo, especially, has stood out, with average occupancy reaching just over 80 per cent. This is not surprising when considering the amount of investment generated by the mountain resorts as a whole. With their 240 sunny days a year and a snow layer of 150cm, the tradition of welcoming tourists from all over the world continues. English and Irish seem to be the most popular visitors to the area, followed by Russians, Turks and Greeks, who represent about 70 per cent of all snow tourists. Hoteliers had been expecting substantial increases for visitors in the 2005-2006 ski season. Of all the ski resorts in Bulgaria, Pamporovo is unarguably the most upmarket, especially when considering the night life and the amount of money spent on ski facilities over the past two years, about 69 million euro. Pamporovo, this season like last season, has won over its visitors with its beautiful scenery and excellent ski facilities. There are the bunny slopes for beginners, and the challenging black diamonds for the more experienced, as well as an internationally reputed ski and snowboard school. There are words of caution, however. Statistics can sometimes be misleading: for certain groups, like the Bulgarians, there has actually been a considerable reduction in the number that go to Pamporovo, due to the increase in the price of ski passes. Many Bulgarians feel that its pristine beauty is being sacrificed in favour of too much commercial interference. Also, mountain tourism is unlike sea tourism: ski resorts are high above sea level. As a result, large investments are needed to develop infrastructure, which could lead to mountain areas being over developed - precious natural resources like trees could be sacrificed for more hotels or restaurants, which could lead to a situation not unlike Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach), were the property market is almost saturated. There is also the danger of global warming, resulting in a much shorter ski season and fewer people occupying hotel rooms. The Pamporovo ski resort might have the best facilities in the Balkans at the moment. Numerous ski slopes, natural beauty, wild forests and other nearby attractions make it an ideal place to go for a ski holiday, now, and for many years to come.
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