site.btaBulgaria's Largest Winter Resorts Open Ski Season

Bulgaria's Largest Winter Resorts
Open Ski
Season


Smolyan, Southern Bulgaria, December 13 (BTA) - Bulgaria's
largest winter resorts: Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo, opened
the ski season on Saturday. A 4-5 per cent increase of tourists
is expected this winter in Bulgaria, Tourism Minister Nikolina
Angelkova told journalists in Pamporovo, where she attended the
launch of the new ski season.

The season in Pamporovo was opened with an impressive ceremony
and all lifts are free for use by skiers on Saturday. Four runs
were opened, covered with snow in spite of the lack of
sufficient snowfall and higher temperatures with the help of the
Alpine Battalion and inmates of the prison hostel in Smolyan.

Angelkova commented that she will come to ski in Pamporovo
because of the large number of beginner slopes in this resort.

Last year Pamporovo topped the ranking of Bulgarian winter
destinations in terms of overnights logged by Bulgarian
tourists, Angelkova said. The interest from Turkey is tangible,
as illustrated by the charter flights to Plovdiv Airport which
have been organized this year. The Minister expects a 10 per
cent increase of Turkish tourists this winter.

More tourists from the other neighboring Balkan countries are
also expected: some 4-5 per cent from Greece and Macedonia and
approximately 2 per cent from Romania and Serbia.

Bansko (Southwestern Bulgaria) marked the first day of the new
season with a snow party, sunshine, competitions and the
participation of ski legends. All facilities are operational.
Eight runs have been opened, and the rest will be ready by
Christmas, if the conditions are appropriate.

Youth and Sports Minister Krasen Kralev also skied at Bansko
Saturday.

Angelkova personally checked Bansko's readiness to launch the
season and found that it was ready to welcome its numerous
guests. She believes that the forthcoming Ladies Super G event
of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, which Bansko will host again,
will increase the number of tourists even more.

Participants in the events included Stefan Eberharter, Olympic
and three times world champion; Marc Girardelli, 5-time winner
of the World Cup; and Petar Popangelov, 26 times champion of
Bulgaria.

There will also be a party in the evening, complete with folk
dances, a Christmas bazaar, a travelling culinary theatre and
sampling of typical local dishes. LN/BR

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