site.btaBansko Officials Meet with President, Prime Minister to Press Demands for the Resort's Development

Bansko Officials Meet with President, Prime Minister to Press Demands for the Resort's Development

Sofia, February 5 (BTA) - The Mayor of the winter resort of
Bansko, Georgi Ikonomov, and members of the local business
community met with President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister
 Boyko Borissov in Sofia on Thursday to press their demands for
the development of tourism in Bansko.

The tourist industry in Bansko, a popular resort town at the
foot of Mount Pirin, has met with opposition from
environmentalists who are worried by the drafting of a new
management plan for the Mount Pirin National Park. The
environmentalists fear that the future plan will allow more ski
facilities to be built in protected sites near Bansko.

Business people in Bansko insist that a second gondola lift
should be constructed in the area. The delegation told Prime
Minister Borissov that the existing gondola lift cannot handle
the large flow of tourists. This puts off potential visitors and
 causes daily damage to the local economy and the international
image of Bulgaria as a travel destination, they argued.

The Prime Minister advised the delegation to try and convince
the environmentalists that a second gondola lift is really
necessary in Bansko. "The environmentalists should be your
partners," he said.

The guests asked the Prime Minister and his cabinet to make a
decision by the end of February about the size of the concession
 for the Bansko ski area and about changing the management plan
for the Mount Pirin National Park.

The Prime Minister promised that the government will consider
the problems about the Bansko ski area within the established
deadlines.

At the meeting with President Plevneliev, the Bansko officials
presented their plans to expand the ski area and build a second
gondola lift. Plevneliev said that tourism development should
take into account the need for sustainable protection of natural
 resources.

The President noted that Bansko is a popular European resort and
 Bulgaria has an interest in strengthening its position as a
leading winter tourist destination. Bulgaria will be playing
host to a Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup event, which presents
an opportunity for the country to prove itself as an excellent
ski destination, the participants in the meeting concurred.

The Bansko delegation called for a concerted effort of the
central and local governments to promote the development of
Bulgarian resorts.

Meanwhile, a coalition of environmental organizations called For
 the Nature said that they have submitted a petition to the
Environment and Water Ministry and the Council of Ministers
explaining how the future management plan for the Mount Pirin
National Park will violate environmental legislation.

The petitioners recommended to the Environment and Water
Ministry to suspend the implementation of the new plan. They
asked the Ministry to require the director of the Mount Pirin
National Park to present necessary documents to enable a
judgment on the need for an environmental impact assessment.