Winter Tourist Season Opens Officially in Borovets Ski Resort

The winter season was officially opened in the Borovets ski resort. As part of the opening ceremony, the lights on the Christmas tree in front of the Rila Hotel were ceremoniously lit; there were also singing and dance performances.

Among the guests were caretaker Tourism Minister Evtim Miloshev, Deputy Interior Minister Toni Todorov, Mariana Nikolova, minister of tourism from 2020 to 2021, Sofia Regional Governor Silvia Arnautska, Samokov Mayor Angel Dzhorgov, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, Borosport Executive Director Georgi Kochov, Union of Owners and Hoteliers in Borovets head Blagovesta Tomova, Samokov Municipality Secretary Venera Milova, Deputy Mayor Stanimira Davidova, and ski legend Peter Popangelov.

In his speech, Minister Miloshev recalled that this is Bulgaria's oldest mountain and ski resort, and described it as always being a symbol of historicity, tradition and innovation in skiing. "Today, the season opens in the conditions of a winter white fairy tale. The road is jammed, so many people travel here because they want to enjoy the best thing in the mountains - the snow, the facilities, skiing," Miloshev noted.

He said Borovets is a story that has brought much glory to Bulgaria and today a new chapter starts. The Tourism Minister also said that the winter ski resorts of Borovets, Bansko, Pamporovo, Dobrinishte have put Bulgaria on the map of European ski resorts. "They create the conditions for a truly sustainable winter tourist season," the Minister added. Miloshev wished a successful season to all tourists and to all those involved in the season.

"Over the last 20 years Borovets has invested huge efforts in the mountain infrastructure, in the modernization and construction of facilities, in the construction of a competitive system that meets all requirements and world standards for the so-called technical snow, but if the winter is like the one we have today, we will need nothing but good mood, emotions and this love for the mountain that we carry," added Miloshev.

This year the Ministry of Tourism is reporting strong interest from tourists from our neighbouring countries as well as traditional markets such as the UK and Germany. "We are expecting over 280,000 visits of foreigners and over 470,000 visits of Bulgarian citizens in the ski resorts alone," Miloshev said, as quoted by his Ministry in a press release.

Mayor of Samokov Angel Dzhorgov highlighted the efforts of the municipality to improve the infrastructure and to open a new tourist information center in Borovets. He noted that all business representatives in Borovets, together with the ski operator have joint efforts to make this season the most successful one yet.

Arnautska said that Borovets is a bastion of winter resorts. "Let's revive what we have. Let's show what we can do, namely that we are the best here in our region," she added. The Sofia Regional Governor wished a successful season and pointed out that the tradition of Borovets to be as it has always been - powerful, strong and amazing - should be revived.

BTA Director General Valchev said that the Bulgarian News Agency has been reporting news about the tourist seasons in Borovets for 126 years as the national news agency of Bulgaria, because it is only two years younger than Borovets. "Borovets (Chamkoriya) started in 1896 and BTA in 1898," he specified. He recalled that the news agency of Bulgaria has already had a permanent correspondent in Samokov for two years, so that every day there is news about the successful seasons in Borovets and other resorts in the area. "The best news in all these years has always been that there is snow, and today there is a lot of snow. But this year Bulgaria adds two more important messages. One is that travel is borderless and it is now much easier for our friends from Romania and Greece to come with their cars to Borovets, now that Bulgaria has joined Schengen," Valchev said. "It is also much easier for all those guests from European Union countries who come by plane, because they do not waste time on border control. The other big message is that Bulgarian resorts offer more than just skiing. There are many mineral springs in this region - Sapareva Banya, Belchin - and this is another reason to come to Bulgaria," added Valchev. According to him, there are not many places that can offer what is the strongest message of Bulgaria: sun, snow and spa.

Bulgarian ski legend Popangelov wished the resort lots of snow and nice slopes. After the opening ceremony, he had a conference call with World Cup and triple Olympic ski champion Alberto Tomba. The Alpine skier wished success to the winter tourist season in Borovets. He asked about the snow, and Popangelov told him that some 60 cm of snow fell on Saturday evening, the Bulgarian skier told BTA. "Alberto Tomba is the greatest of all time," Popangelov also said.

Tomba also congratulated caretaker Tourism Minister Miloshev, Popangelov's family, the BTA Director General, the head of the Union of Hoteliers in Borovets, the Executive Director of Borosport, the Mayor of Samokov, the Regional Governor of Sofia, and other official guests.

Borovets is the oldest mountain resort in Bulgaria and on the Balkans, whose highest ski point is 2,560 m. The resort is located in the Musala section of Eastern Rila mountain at an altitude of 1,230-1,390 meters. It is located 73 km from Sofia and 10 km from Samokov.

/DS/