Bansko Apartments Now Available at 50% of 2008 Prices

Apartments in Bansko, Bulgaria’s biggest and most popular ski resort, are now available to purchase at up to 50 percent less than in 2008, according to the latest data from leading real estate agent, Bulgarian Properties.

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The report reveals that apartments in Bansko have halved in price over the past three years, attracting interest from buyers looking for affordable winter property. In the first eight months of 2011, apartments in Bansko were sold at an average of 760 euros per square metre and the index value of Bansko property is now at 51.3 compared with that of November 2008, when the index value was at a peak of 100.

Bansko is leading the way on the ski slopes, with prices in Borovets and Pamporovo showing reductions of between 20 - 30%. And the property bargains are not limited only to the ski resorts. Bulgarian beach property has also been snapped up by astute buyers at the lowest prices the market has witnessed in recent years.

Having regained its position as a top ten world destination in August, Bulgaria is still at number eight in TheMoveChannel’s Top of the Props report for September and is continuing to attract growing interest from foreign property buyers.

As the summer season comes to an end, though, buyers begin to think of colder climates and, while the Alps will always remain a firm favourite for ski fanatics, they may face new competition from the Balkans. Bargain ski properties for sale in Bulgaria are now, once again, firmly on the 'must-see' agenda.

Related articles:
Bulgaria Holds Top-10 Spot in Property Purchase Favourites
Bulgaria's Q2 Property Sales Rocket by 48%
Experts Agree that Property Market has Bottomed Out
Bulgarian Property Prices Reach Their Baseline
Time to Buy in Bulgaria's Recovering Property Market

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Bulgarian Key Resort Areas Gain New Status

Bulgaria's main national resorts will be declared 'Settlements with particular status' and will have a new regime of unified urban planning and management.

Deputy Minister for Tourism, Ivo Marinov, said "These settlements will include the beach resorts of Sunny Beach, Albena, Golden Sands and Dunes - and the ski centres of Borovets, Bansko and Pamporovo, among others".

Currently, ownership of the local infrastructure and facilities varies from resort to resort. The largest Bulgarian summer resort of Sunny Beach, for instance, is a public association with a 75% Government stake and 25% belonging to minority shareholders. The Albena infrastructure has one owner, while Golden Sands belongs to a consortium of different hotel proprietors. In Borovets the ski facilities are owned by the Borosport company while the infrastructure belongs to the municipality, whereas facilities at Pamporovo are shared between the municipalities of Chepelare and Smolyan. Marinov pointed out that within the new plan all the main resorts will have a common organisation.

The Deputy Minister also stated that that the cabinet is considering the elimination of resort tax for hotels during seasonal periods when they are not in use.

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Bulgaria's Winter Tourist Numbers Increase by 7%

Bulgaria's winter and ski resorts will seek to attract more and more tourists from neighbouring Balkan countries, decided experts who took part in a round table forum discussion in Sofia on Monday 18 April. The event was organized by the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, which presented the following results from the completed winter tourism season 2010-2011.

A total of 412641 foreign tourists visit Bulgaria's winter and ski resorts, an increase of 7.1%, while the total revenue from foreign tourists was EUR 204 million, a 2.3% increase year-on-year.

The biggest increases came from the numbers of Balkan tourists and some of the more traditional source countries:

- Romania – 113110 tourists, up 9.3%
- Macedonia – 80560, up by 30.7%
- Serbia – 47901, up by 28.1%
- Turkey – 46029, up by 0.8%
- Germany – 26241, up 18.6%
- Russia – 32541, up by 11.8%
- Ukraine – 15485, up by 16.4%
- France – 10583, up 29.7%
- Israel – 8247, up 25.9%
- USA – 6629, up 13.7%

Tourists from Greece numbered 172845, a decline of 5.2% year-on-year; the UK – 35704, down 3% and Italy – 13531, down by 20.7%.

For the next winter tourism season, the Bulgarian ski resorts plan to invest heavily in artificial snow equipment in order to be able to extend the duration of the season. The top resorts intend to organize various world winter sports competitions – a goal already achieved by Bansko which hosted a world ski cup round this winter.

According to the business executives and experts who took part in Monday's round table, the economic crisis has affected the numbers of British and Irish tourists coming to Bulgaria, while the visa regimes for Russia and Turkey have had a similar effect.

The resorts and the Economy Ministry also plan to boost their efforts to attract Bulgarian tourists to the winter resorts. While Bulgaria's winter resorts are traditionally seen as important for the country's tourism revenue, their share is nowhere near that of the Black Sea summer resorts which are usually visited by several million foreign tourists each year.

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New Leeds to Sofia flights for winter 2011

Low-cost tour operator, Balkan Holidays, has announced a new route from Leeds Bradford Airport to Sofia, Bulgaria for the winter season 2011.

Rupert Diggins, Balkan Holidays sales and marketing manager, commented: "We are delighted to announce the launch of this new service to Sofia which will open up the popular Bulgarian winter resorts of Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo."

The company hopes to attract increasing numbers of ski tourists in the expanding Yorkshire market.

Winter 2011 ski packages to Bulgaria from Leeds Bradford have now gone on sale in the UK, with prices starting from GBP 222 for seven nights in the ski resort of Pamporovo.

Balkan Holidays currently operates summer charter flights from Leeds Bradford to the Black Sea resorts of Burgas and Varna. With the addition of this new winter route, Balkan Holidays will now offer services to Bulgaria throughout the year.

For advice, assistance and information about Moving to Bulgaria, we recommend that you visit our website at MovetoBG.com - and for accommodation options, resources and services, we suggest Bulgaria Gateway