The winter tourist season started in Bulgaria with excellent conditions for skiing and slopes full of winter sports lovers.
In Borovets, the tourist season started today in all three ski resorts: Sitnyakovo, Jastrebets and Markutzik. “This year the weather is on our side, so we are opening all three ski resorts,” Borosport marketing organizer Maria Seinova told BTA, adding that snow was plentiful and conditions were good. “But we keep the snow cannons, because the beginning of the season is vital in order to take advantage of the right weather conditions and ensure adequate snow cover as much as possible,” he added.
“We will not change our prices last year until the Christmas season. Indoor access is only possible with a green certificate. Mandatory mask use is valid in busy locations,” Seinova said. “We rely mainly on Bulgarian tourists and visitors from the rest of the Balkans. This year we also expect our traditional visitors from Britain to return to Borovets,” Seinova said.
“Roads and parking lots are completely clear of snow and the necessary arrangements have been made in co-operation with the local government,” Ivan Stankov of the Yastrebets Gondola gondola lift told BTA.
Until December 26, the daily lift card costs 62 leva for adults, 45 leva for young people (aged 14-22) and 36 leva for children (aged 7-13).
From December 27 the prices will be 75, 54 and 44 leva respectively.
“Tour operators are expecting a strong winter tourist season,” Rumen Draganov, director of the Institute for Tourism Analysis and Evaluation, told BTA. While 680,000 foreign tourists visited Bulgaria from late December 2020 to early March 2021, double the number is expected this winter.
The executive director of the National Tourism Council (NTB), Polina Karastoyanova, told BTA that most parts of Bulgaria are ready to offer recreation with natural snow. “We have moderately optimistic expectations because the business community has done what is necessary and there are all the prerequisites for a safe and quiet tourist season,” Karastoyanova said.
Inaugurating the 2021/2022 winter season in Pamporovo (south-central Bulgaria) on Friday, Tourism Minister Christo Prodanov said he was optimistic. “To be successful, next season must have a lot of snow and a lot of tourists,” he added.
And Pamporovo AD CEO Marian Beljakov hopes this winter will be good, given that there is so much snow in December for the first time in years.
In Bansko, in southwestern Bulgaria, the season officially started today.
“The new fact this year is that the industry has returned to normal competition,” Draganov said. “Winter resorts in France, Austria and Andorra closed last winter, but they are open now, which is good because winter tourism is much better advertised,” he said. “The Bulgarian tourism industry operates better in competitive conditions and our tourism product is in a much better position because it has competitive prices,” he added.
Draganov pointed out that Borovets and Bansko are famous among the top ski resorts, while Pamporovo is ideal for children and beginners.
Karastoyanova stressed that Bulgaria needs a new strategy for the development of tourism after Covid-19, which should be prepared with the participation of international experts and provide for the development of the individual components of the industry in this country, including the winter tourism. “The Bulgarian mountains must be accessible, otherwise it is a crime against Bulgarian society,” he said.
The NTB Executive Director highlighted the need for short-term support for the tourism sector in terms of green certification and vaccination. NTB insists that the green certificate should become mandatory for all Bulgarian citizens to have access to all public services and activities.
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