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| General information on Bulgaria |
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| Territory: 110,993.6 km2 |
| Population: 8 487 317 |
| Capital city: Sofia |
| Official language: Bulgarian |
| Religion: Eastern Orthodox |
| Political system: Parliamentary republic |
| National currency: Lev |
| Time zone: GMT +2 |
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According to its geographical location, Bulgaria is in Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, and is south of Romania, west of the Black Sea, north of Turkey and Greece, and east of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro.
The climate in the country is almost the same as in northern Italy, Switzerland, France and similar to the climate in New York and Washington.
The Bulgarian people has a millennial history. According to the data from the last census, Bulgaria’s population numbers 8,487,317 people.
Bulgarians are traditionalists. Their family relationships are strong and very often three generations - grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers and children, live together or have very intensive relations among themselves. Usually grandmothers take care of the grandchildren while the mothers are at work. At present most Bulgarian families have few children – one or two. The number of marriages among young people is decreasing, and cohabitation, even having children without entering into marriage, is becoming more and more popular.
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Bulgarians have enthralling folk music and beautiful dances, which make them famous everywhere. A recording of a Bulgarian folk song, performed by Valya Balkanska, is travelling in space on the board of the American “Voyager”. The choral society “The mystery of Bulgarian voices”, who perform traditional for our culture melodies, is world-famous. Bulgarian national instruments are the bag-pipe, kaval and gudulka.
Bulgarians are good singers and instrumentalists. Orpheus, the legendary ancient musician and spiritual leader, was born in the Rhodopes. Some of the world-famous opera singers are Bulgarians, like Hristina Morfova, Boris Hristov, Nikolay Gyaurov, Rayna Kabaivanska, Gena Dimitrova, Anna Tomova-Sintova, Veselina Katsarova and Hristina Angelakova.
The country attracts great interest with its picturesque landscape and lifestyle and has aroused astonishment in its visitors many times. A number of celebrities have visited Bulgaria and have gathered excellent impressions from their stay here and remember the cordial Bulgarians with tenderness.
A number of examples can be provided for that, from world-known Hollywood stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and Wesley Snipes, singers, actors, cultural figures, politicians to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Charles, who was on a short visit to Bulgaria in April 2003 and visited the “Chiflika Chukurovo” ethnographic complex in the village of Prilep.
This incredibly beautiful place, which was the only stop of the Prince outside the protocol, offers unique opportunities for meeting the past in an authentic environment of a Bulgarian village. During his visit the Prince saw the ethnographic exhibition, tasted traditional culinary specialities and had a conversation with the village people, who were invited to the improvised cocktail in the tavern. His Highness took with him an old atlas of Bulgaria, a jar of natural bee honey and a cask of seven-year-old home-distilled rakiya, produced in the old distillery of the farm, as well as the memory of the warm welcome and the genuine sincerity of the people of the Bulgarian village. The complex features an exposition of ancient Bulgarian crafts and national costumes, a hunting chamber with hunting trophies, village animals, delicious Bulgarian meal, sparkling home-made wine, heated rakiya. The guests of the complex can try attractions like horse riding, cart tour, slinging and air-gun shooting, as well as Bulgarian village swings.
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During his visit the heir to the British throne, as we have already mentioned, was astonished by the cordial welcome and the perfect organisation created by the team of “Chiflika Chukurovo”. Part of our team can take pride in their humble contribution to that. A letter of thanks by Ian Soutar – the British Ambassador, was received, which read, “His Royal Highness was very pleased with his stay in “Chukurovo”. It was very funny, despite the cold weather in that day. Out visit could not be as successful without your assistance and the engagement on your part and on the part of your employees...”.
Subsequently, a letter by Mr. James Kinder – assistant private secretary of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, which contained appreciation of the gifts received by the Prince during his stay in Bulgaria and shared ideas for the development of the complex region. The same appreciation was expressed by Christine Winterburn – Second secretary at the British Embassy in the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as in the letter received from the chairman’s office in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Mr. M. Steward, which was received later.
Based on many years of cooperation with the “Chiflika Chukurovo” ethnographic complex in the village of Prilep, the good relations and the excellent impressions from this heavenly place in Bulgaria, “SUNNY VILLAS” Agency recommends you to touch upon this fascinating place.
The doors of this Bulgarian cultural oasis are always open for you. We offer you personal first-hand experiences like the ones Prince Charles had during his visit in April 2003, and express our readiness to cooperate fully in case you choose to do it.
Bulgaria is a country which is relatively small in territory and population, but unlike many big countries it has all earthly goods.
Should you want mountains of the Alpine type – they are available.
Should you want a beach – it is available.
Should your wish is to see excavations of prehistoric settlements – they are available.
You should be well advised that if you decide to see antique remains like the ones in Greece, Italy and Turkey – they are available here, too.
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The mushrooming golf clubs throughout Bulgaria come as an alternative to the concrete sins on the Bulgarian Black sea cost.
This is the conclusion of the German DPA Agency, which made its own examination on the theme. The new golf club in Ravno Pole village, located on 25 kilometers from Bulgarian capital Sofia is presently turning into regular destination for the tourists, looking for tranquility. The golf club is visited by more and more Sofia citizens, diplomats and foreign contractors. According to the DPA Agency the golf clubs with luxurious hotels and modern SPA - facilities will improve the tourism image of Bulgaria, associated in Europe mainly with the cheap Black Sea vacation.
There are still 19 golf playgrounds more presently being built, one of which estimated on the amount of 50 million EUR - the future Golf & SPA complex in Pravets town, the birth town of former communist President of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov. Specialists consider the strong investment interest will bring the construction of round 40 golf playgrounds in the country. The Bulgarian government also approves the intentions Bulgaria to be turned into international destination for golf tourism. There are excellent climate conditions in Bulgaria and the scenery is extremely attractive.
After the construction boom on the sea coast, the upcoming summer will show is still the tourism in Bulgaria capable to escape the sins of concrete and to return to nature, the specialized tourism editions comment. World - wide famous Black sea coasts and ski resorts in Southern Bulgaria have attracted more than 5 million tourists in common for the last 2007 year. The amount of tourists from EU have raised with 50 %. Incomes of tourism for Bulgaria have reached the record to the moment 2, 3 billion EUR - raise of 11% compared to the previous year. The State Agency of Tourism expects 10% raise for 2008 too. |
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The extreme tourism turns to be one of the latest hits of the tourism agencies,
Over 12,000 Bulgarians on different age showed interest towards possibilities for extreme experience and rest among the beautiful Bulgarian nature in April.
For the moment the most requested extreme activity is rafting - dropping by the fast waters of Struma river in Kresna gorge.
The mix of rafting plus the emotions of riding horses in Pirin Mountain also attracts the attention of many tourists.
Horse passage in the Rhodope's village of Trigrad (South - Eastern Rhodopes), Vratsa Balkan (Western Stara Planina Mountain) and the Aidushko gathering place in Troyan Balkan (Central Stara Planina) are among the favorite tourism destinations of the adventurous tourists.
Many people are also ready to climb down with a rope in a waterfall, to enter on a boat in a cave, rowing among the water cave galleries./www.news.bg/ |
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Germans started to book again holidays in Bulgaria after a two-year withdrawal, Dnevnik daily reported
The signals came from the last week's International Tourism Bourse (ITB), the annual business-to-business industry event, reminded from the daily.
Tourism experts said German bookings in Bulgaria should see a 5% increase up to 400,000 in 2008.
Seaside Burgas and Varna airports' data showed that 390,000 German tourists came to the country on trips arranged by tour operators.
The total number of Germans that landed in the two airports was 600,000.
Round 4 years ago, the number of German holiday-makers peaked, but was followed by a significant drop as the German economy slowed down and the quality of tourist services in Bulgaria worsened.
The tour operator expects to book Bulgarian holidays for 140,000 German tourists in 2008, comparing to the 120,000 last year. |
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Tourism 2007
Bulgaria’s first year as an EU-member state has had a favorable impact on its tourist image. The interest in our country has been rising as well as the flow of tourists from other countries. Over 4 million foreign residents took a winter or summer vacation in Bulgaria in 2006, which is about 7% up on 2006. EU citizens account for more than 70% of foreign tourists to Bulgaria, notably Greece, Germany, UK, Sweden and Finland. Over the last 12 months the number of tourists from the latter country shot up by 30%. And yet, Bulgarian tourism, dubbed until quite recently “the Balkan Tiger”, has been running at a low tide compared with preceding years.
This made itself painfully prominent as early as the start of the 2007 season. For the first time in many years, in mid-July, quite a few newly built hotels in the country’s Black Sea resorts found themselves unoccupied. Hoteliers’ best bet was to slash overnight charges, which entailed in its turn an unprecedented and fierce competition in the branch. In the month of August, a traditional peak in high season bookings, the tourist reflux was compensated for with fresh holiday bookings from EU and neighbouring countries.
Experts explain the alarming occurrence with a runaway sprawl of building developments- hotels, vacation villages, golf grounds, night entertainment outlets- which has totally thwarted Bulgaria’s image as a holiday destination, offering delightful family perks, unspoilt nature among them. An all-time high number of hotels and entertainment places-1800- were built in the first seven months of the year. And yet, an increasing number of people in Bulgaria are becoming aware that tourism does not necessarily mean only luxury accommodation, round-the-clock entertainment and cheap liquor. Tourist operators are beginning to opt for well paying clients who’d really like to see and appreciate the true values of Bulgaria; tourists would not fall for cheap tour packages on the Black Sea and would like instead to go deep inland to explore monasteries, medieval fortresses and the national heritage. In 2007, a great number of municipalities across the country drafted and carries through with EU funds projects on sustainable tourist development. Setting up eco and trekking trails and routes, revival of local folklore and traditional crafts and restoration of rundown old monasteries have been only but few of enterprising arrangements to advertise the respective regions as attractive tourist destinations. Rural tourism gained in popularity in 2007 too. Rural vacations usually offer, as well as accommodation with village families, horseback rides, jeep-safaris and get-to-know -the- place treks to natural sites or trips to cultural and historical sites.
In 2007 many foreigners, mostly from UK, bought houses or flats in Bulgaria, some of them to live in Bulgarian villages or small towns in their retirement or use them as holiday villas. Entire communities of ex-pats have emerged in mountain areas or at the Black Sea. Newly-built luxury flats or villas at the Black Sea appear to be much sought after as they come cheapest in EU. The owners of such properties, coming mostly from EU countries and Russia use them either as summer retreats or turn them into holiday lets at relatively prices, underbidding the local market.
Traditionally, Bulgaria’s biggest skiing resorts are most favoured by Britons. Scandinavians, Russians and tourists from neighbouring Balkans like coming to Bulgaria for skiing holidays too. |
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