Member of:
Language:
No booking fees!
FREE cancellation in most cases!
Construction obstruction
Sofia Echo Com, 18.04.2005
THE first signs that large-scale construction of new hotels and other facilities at the major Bulgarian seaside resort of Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach) had started producing negative results were reported by local media on April 12. Tour operators, hotel owners, real estate agencies and banks are reporting an oversupply of beds, and withdrawal of tourists. For the first time, businesses are facing the prospect of falling prices of lodgings and properties, and banks are pulling out of lending in Slunchev Bryag. Hotel and restaurant owners in Slunchev Bryag are now facing another serious threat, which was first voiced on April 10 by Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Savin Kovachev. He said that problems might arise in regard to electricity and water supply, as well as the sewage system in the resort. Capacity is at its limit, and a real threat exists that this summer, tourists might face water and electricity shortages, Kovachev said. “There are tightly congested construction zones in the resort that look like Obelya and Lyulin (Sofia’s most crowded residential districts) and I would not like to spend my holiday in them,” Kovachev said. Starting from this year’s tourist exchange in Berlin, Slunchev Bryag has already been registering reduced bookings. According to recently-appointed Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Dimitar Handjinikolov, the drop in booking was caused by people not believing that the new hotels will be ready by the beginning of the season. Hadjinikolov said that tour operators and tourist agencies in Germany would be sent information on when and how the season would start. “We shall try to stimulate German tourist bookings for May and the beginning of June,” he said. He said that the 75th meeting of the Executive Bureau of the World Tourism Organisation is expected to take place in Slunchev Bryag and Nessebur on June 13 and 14. Hadjinikolov and Culture and Tourism Minister Nina Chilova visited the town of Nessebur on April 7 to meet regional governors and mayors of Black Sea municipalities in connection with the forthcoming summer season preparations. Representatives of private business and investors in seaside resorts also took part in the meetings. Although construction using heavy machinery at Slunchev Bryag after May 15 was forbidden by an order by Nessebur mayor Nikolay Trifonov, hotel builders appear unlikely to be able to finish their work by the deadline, the delegation was told at the meetings. Construction in the resorts near Varna will be suspended as of May 1, in accordance with an order issued by Varna mayor Kiril Yordanov, Hadjinikolov and Chilova were told. Complaints against the construction suspension order and the court rulings on them remained the only open question, Yordanov said. Businesses remain optimistic about this year’s summer season, as the Bulgarian Tourist Chamber forecast a year-on-year jump by eight to 10 per cent in foreign tourists at the seaside. Chamber chairperson Tsvetan Tonchev said the biggest surge, of more than 50 per cent, is expected in the number of UK tourists. The number of Brits visiting Bulgarian winter resorts soared by 100 per cent during the winter season, Tonchev said. The number of beds in the Black Sea resorts is expected to increase by about 10 000 in the forthcoming season. All of them will be added in three-, four- and five-star accommodation. There was lots of news on the visa front in the past 10 days to remind that this has always been one of the most important issues related to tourism. Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Petkov signed agreements on April 8 to waive visas with China’s special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The signing took place during an official visit by a Bulgarian delegation to China. Bulgarian nationals will be allowed visa-free travel to either region for up to 90-day sojourns. A reciprocal right is granted to the residents of Hong Kong and Macau in respect of Bulgaria. The agreements will become effective two months after the respective ratification procedures. Foreign Minister Solomon Passi announced that the Chinese government had declared Bulgaria an official tourist destination. “This is a very important recognition for the Bulgarian tourism and economy, and creates vast opportunities that we will employ in the best possible way,” Passi said. On April 7, Bulgaria’s Cabinet decided to exempt citizens of Russia and Belarus, arriving in Bulgaria as tourists, from visa fees until April 1, 2006. see source
Touroperator
