Rental News
Czechs to Be 1st Passengers at Bulgaria's New Black Sea Airport in Balchik
Bulgaria's brand-new Black Sea airport in the northeastern town of Balchik is set to welcome its first passengers after being transformed from a military into civilian airport, its director announced. On May 3, Thursday, Balchik Airport will receive a 9-sea...full article
More Macedonian Tourists in Bulgaria
Bulgaria will try to attract a greater number of Macedonian tourists, as the country is to present itself at the Skopje Travel Market 2012 that is launched on Tuesday. New products, lesser known tourist routes and detailed information on Bulgaria's Spa and ...full article
Bulgarian Resorts to Welcome Mostly Romanians during Easter Holidays.
Bulgarian resorts will welcome guests mostly from Romania and Serbia during the forthcoming Easter holidays, according to statistics of hotel owners. Romanians will be the largest group of foreign tourists, with groups from Serbia and Macedonia also expected t...full article
BULGARIA AMONG 2012 BEST VALUE BREAKS - UK RANKING
Bulgaria has been ranked as the fourth best value break of 2012 in UK Post Office holiday barometer. A cup of coffee costs as little as 96p and a three-course evening meal for two adults (including a bottle of house wine) in local restaurant averaged at GBP...full article
Holders of Schengen visas will be able to visit and stay in Bulgaria without Bulgarian visas
Accepting a proposal by the Prime Minister, the Cabinet today decided that until the date of Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen zone, Bulgaria unilaterally will apply a visa-free system for holders of valid Schengen visas. With this decision, Bulgaria w...full article
Bulgaria Ups Flights from Black Sea to Moscow in Summer 2012
Flights from Bulgaria's Black Sea airports of Varna and Burgas to the Russian capital Moscow are increasing next summer season. The agreement was sealed by the Transport Ministries of the two countries. Since the spring of 2010, there have been seven fli...full article
Bulgaria's Varna Airport with 19 Regular Lines in Summer 2011
The international airport in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna will serve 19 regular routes in the summer season of 2011. The summer schedule of Varna Airport enters into force as of March 27, 2011; the first foreign tourists for the nearby Black Sea resorts...full article
Bulgaria Cheapest Destination for UK Tourists
Bulgaria has been pronounced the cheapest destination, and a real bargain by a survey made by Post Office travel services. Ten typical holiday items and costs, including a meal out, postcards, English newspapers, insect-repellent and bottled water, will cost t...full article
Wizz Air Confirms New Varna - London Flights
Wizz Air has confirmed that it will begin operating a new service from London Luton Airport to the Bulgarian seaside city of Varna. The Hungary based low-cost carrier plans to begin the route this summer, with flights departing twice a week between June 27 ...full article
Irish Aer Lingus to fly to Sofia
Aer Lingus, Ireland’s budget air carrier, unveiled nine new routes to the UK and Europe, Bloomberg reported. The carrier will fly to Sofia all Thursdays and Saturdays from October 28. Earlier in the year the company launched its first Bulgarian route taking pa...full article
More air carriers add Varna routes
This summer, Varna will appear for the first time on the destination rosters of four airlines. Edelweiss Air will fly to Zurich; Lithuanian Airlines will offer flights to Vilnius while Air Italy Polska will open routes to Warsaw and Katowice. Ukrainе's Lviv ...full article
Bulgaria's Varna to Host Biggest Exhibit on Water
The biggest exhibit on water in Bulgaria, Bulgaria Boat Show is officially opening Thursday evening at the seaport of the country's sea capital Varna. The yacht exhibit will take place June 6 to the 8 and will present over 50 new yacht models. 20 of them will...full article
British Tourists Flock to Bulgaria
Rental investors in Bulgaria are seeing a surge in demand for tourist accommodation this summer, it has emerged. Online travel agency Lastminute.com revealed that the number of June bookings for the country is 151 per cent up on 12 months earlier. This means...full article
Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia Recommended for Ski Holidays
The eastern European destinations of Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania have been recommended to British tourists looking for a bargain ski holiday. Bulgaria's Borovets resort is the cheapest ski holiday destination, with prices for equipment and accommodation hal...full article
Wizz Air to become first LCC to open domestic routes Sofia - Varna - Sofia
Budget air carrier Wizz Air Tuesday announced on its website that it would expand its Sofia base by deploying an additional new A320 aircraft starting from 12 July 2008. The airline will start new flights from Sofia to the domestic Varna airport, on the Black ...full article
Bulgaria's Dental Tourism Flourishing Thanks to Britons
Dental tourism is an increasing trend with more and more Britons, who combine a holiday to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast with a visit to the dentist. Bulgaria, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Thailand are cashing in from a growing number of Britons who canno...full article
Budget carrier easyJet to open Sofia-London route in Nov '07
British low-cost air carrier easyJet Wednesday announced it has added Sofia to its destination network. The company will perform flights from London's Gatwick airport to the Bulgarian capital three times a week - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from Nove...full article
Borosport to invest 70 mln levs in Borovets ski runs
Borosport AD, the company managing the skiing facilities in Bulgarian mountain resort Borovets under a concession arrangement, said it will invest 70 mln levs over the next 3 years in new ski runs, skiing equipment and installations for artificial snow. The co...full article
Budget airline Wizz Air to fly Sofia-Dortmund
Low cost carrier Wizz Air said it is launching a twice-weekly service from Sofia to Dortmund. The one-way fare is 24.99 euro with airport charges. At the moment, Wizz Air flies from Sofia to London and Rome and from Varna and Burgas to Warsaw, Budapest and Kat...full article
Bulgarian co to build 5 mln euro shopping mall in Bansko
Local company Bansko Privilege Resort said it will invest 5 mln euro in the construction of a shopping mall in Bulgaria's skiing hotspot Bansko. The retail center is sited next to the lower end of the gondola lift and the Kempinski Grand Arena hotel and should...full article
Low cost carrier SkyEurope opens Burgas service Jun 9
Budget carrier SkyEurope said it will launch flights from Bulgarian Black Sea town Burgas to Krakow, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. The Burgas-Krakow route will be available three times a week from June 9, Burgas-Bratislava from June 16 and Burgas-Prague fro...full article
Bulgaria welcomes influx of Romanian tourists
Some 17,7000 Romanian tourists descended on the Bulgarian Black Sea resorts during the recent extended Labor Day holidays, shows data of the Romanian border authorities. The holiday rush brings the total number of Romanian arrivals to 40,000 for the past 3-4 w...full article
Bulgaria Could be Europe's Next Golfing "Hotspot"
Real estate developers in Bulgaria have woken up to the massive pulling power of top quality golf courses, experts say. "Five signature courses - from the likes of Ian Woosnam, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player - are planned," says Chris Goodall from English la...full article
Retro Passenger Ships to Travel from Bulgaria to Turkey
The high-speed passenger ships "Comet" transporting tourists between Bulgaria and Turkey will be back in a month for the beginning of the summer season. The retro ships were stopped from motion more than 15 years ago, but now the businessman Radostin Dachev fr...full article
1/3 of Sunny Beach holiday homes on the market
Some 1,000 vacation homes in Black Sea resorts Sunny Beach and St. Vlas have been listed for sale, shows data of local real estate brokerage portal imoti.net. A third of the apartments were bought at 600-800 euro/sq m three to four years ago and now the owners...full article
Terra Tour Service to invest 71 mln levs in Pravets golf resort
Local company Terra Tour Service has announced plans to invest 71.8 mln levs in a golf resort near the city of Pravets. Northern Bulgaria. The project will be granted a First Class Investor certificate by the InvestBulgaria Agency, the local investment promoti...full article
Tourist Boom in Bulgaria Expected for 2007
Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the EU is expected to generate a boom in tourism around Eastern Europe, especially on the Balkans, according to Travel Blackboard e-zine. After the two countries joined the Union, experts envisage that 2007 the number of fo...full article
Varna, Burgas airports to have new passenger terminals by mid-'09
Bulgarian coastal airports Varna and Burgas will have new passenger terminals by mid-2009, said Andreas Helfer, general executive director of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management which manages the two facilities under a 35-year concession arrangement. The new ...full article
Bulgarians to Travel to Mexico Without Visas
The Bulgarian citizens will be allowed to travel to Mexico without visas from March 11 2007, the Deputy Foreign Minister Gergana Grancharova announced. The decision was made after negotiations between the two countries, Darik News reported. The Bulgarians wi...full article
FT: Bulgaria, Romania Set for Boom in Low-Cost Flights
Business Bulgaria and Romania are likely to attract many low-cost carriers thanks to their accession to the European Union and fast growing economies, Financial Times Deutschland reported. "The two countries are hoping to enjoy the same travel boom experienc...full article
Budget carriers increase flights to Bulgaria
Low cost carrier Wizz Air Monday announced it will add new destinations to and from Bulgaria with its summer flight timetable. Starting in June, Wizz Air will fly from Bulgarian coastal city Burgas to Budapest, Katowice and Warsaw. Flights to Budapest will be ...full article
Bulgaria Promotes Tourism on Holland Exhibit
Business Bulgaria will present itself with a stand on the international tourist exhibition Vakantiebeurs in the Netherlands. The exhibition will take place in the city of Utrecht from 9 to 14 January. Bulgaria will have its information stand installed on an a...full article
Budget carrier Ryan Air to launch Bulgaria route in '07
No-frills airline Ryan Air will start offering flights to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second biggest city, from August 2007, said Plamen Nikolov, executive director of the Plovdiv airport. The low cost carrier will fly from Plovdiv to destinations in Britain, Spain an...full article
Tempo Holidays adds Bulgaria to '07 brochure
Australian tour operator Tempo Holidays announced on its website it is adding Bulgaria to its '07 catalogue, saying its 43rd destination extends options for Greece and Turkey travellers. The launch products will include a two night Taste of Sofia package and a...full article
Bulgaria Welcomes More Russian Tourists
Business Bulgaria has welcomed over 200,000 Russian tourists for the period until the end of September, which is 22% more than for the same period last year. Bulgaria and the Russian Federation will step up their cooperation in the sphere of tourism acco...full article
Bulgarian Cuisine Is a Real Lure for Tourists
Vacations for pregnant women and holidays for lonely people are the latest hit at the International Tourism Fair in London Tripe soup, banitsa, Shopska salad, cheverme, strong brandy and special wines will lure tourists to come to visit Bulgaria. The tr...full article
Bulgaria Welcomes 1,5 M Tourists for Summer 2006
Bulgaria's Black Sea resorts have received nearly 1,5 M foreign tourists for the 2006 summer season, shows a survey of the Analysis of Tourism Institute. The numbers were announced at the tourism forum "Bulgaria's Mountains". Rough calculations show the income...full article
Batch of carriers eye Bulgarian budget air travel market
Four no-frills carriers have notified the Sofia International Airport of their interest to offer regular flights to and from Bulgaria starting January 1, 2007 when the local aviation market opens to competition. Italian low-cost airline Myair will introduce o...full article
Austrian Airlines Lures Bulgarians with Discounts
The Austrian Airlines in Bulgaria will offer discount prices to tickets to the most frequented sites in Austria within the "Welcome Aboard" initiative. The company launched the initiative in a bid to make more accessible the destinations within the European U...full article
Rehn: Bulgaria, Romania Deserve Warm EU Welcome
On EU Doorstep Bulgaria and Romania have put remarkable efforts into becoming worthy of joining the EU and they deserve a warm welcome, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said presenting the monitoring report on Tuesday. Yet the report proposes some safeguar...full article
EU Gives Green Light for Bulgaria, Romania to Join in 2007
The European Commission has invited Bulgaria and Romania to join the European Union in January, as they are able to take on rights as full fledged members on 1 January 2007.full article
Fraport to sink 10 mln euro in Burgas airport by mid-'07
Fraport Twin Star Airports Management, the Fraport-controlled operator of Bulgaria's Varna and Burgas airports, said it will begin the construction of a new passenger terminal at the Burgas airport as soon as it obtained the necessary building permits. The new...full article
Iceland Discovers Bulgaria as Tourist Destination
Icelandic tourists have been discovering Bulgaria as a favourite tourism destination this year, according to data by the state Tourism Authority. Along with Iceland, steady rise in the interest to spend the holidays in Bulgaria has been found with tourist fr...full article
Alternative Tourism Gains Ground in Bulgaria
Alternative tourism is among the sectors to which Bulgaria puts weight, the country's state-run tourism agency announced in Salzburg, Austria. The country has presented its tourism development strategy at the Second European Conference on Rural Development i...full article
Real Estate Prices in Bulgaria Up 20%
Real estate prices in Bulgaria have increased by 20% over the last year, according to London-based Night Frank Estate agents, cited by 24 Hours daily. Bulgaria ranks second in respect of property prices growth after Latvia, enjoying a 45.3% rise for the said ...full article
Water park to be built in Rusalka-Elite resort
Bulgarian tourism holding Russalka Holidays said it will invest 2 mln euro in an aqua park in the Rusalka-Elite vacation complex, on the Black Sea. The water park should be ready for next year's summer season. The holding said there will be no further construc...full article
Ancient Thracian Town to Draw Tourists to Bulgaria
A Thracian town dating back to IV century B.C. in central Bulgaria has the potential to become one of the country's archaeological hotspots, according to experts. Local authorities in the town of Kazanluk plan to turn it into a place of great importance to B...full article
Bulgaria Top Destination for 2007 - Survey
Bulgaria has topped as number one up-and-coming destination for travellers, according to a freshly released survey. The forecasts published by online travel company, Opodo, suggest that Bulgaria will be the top emerging destination for 2007. Close runner-ups ...full article
German, Greek Tourists Turn Back on Bulgaria
Bulgaria sees a constantly decreasing number of holidaymakers from Germany, Greece and other markets that are considered traditional for the country. In 2005, the number of Greek tourists was down 15%, there were 14% less Macedonians and 4% less Germans. Cen...full article
New British Airways Low Cost Service to Varna!
BA will be operating a new direct flight service to Varna from March 26th 2006, from Gatwick. Flights are Wednesday and Saturday. Prices are usually £55 each way + taxes. With some dates showing £125 or £155 for one way. You should be able to ge...full article
New lowfare direct airline Oslo-Varna
New lowfare direct airline Oslo-Varna is launched from 06 May 2006 with Norwegian Air Shuttlefull article
SkyEurope expands
SkyEurope expands eastwards and enters Bulgaria and Romaniafull article
Italian Myair
The third low-cost airline to Bulgaria the Italian Myair has been granted traffic rights to launch services to Sofia till the end of 2005.full article
Bulgaria has been included in the destination portfolios of a dozen Irish tour operators!
Bulgaria has been included in the destination portfolios of a dozen Irish tour operators, said the Bulgarian Tourism Authority. Some 29,000 Irish tourists visited the country in '05, up 100% y/y. Also, the number of the Danish companies selling Bulgaria as a h...full article
Apocalyptica will inaugurate the summer tourism season in Bulgaria!
Finnish rock band Apocalyptica will inaugurate the summer tourism season in Bulgaria's Black Sea town Kavarna on June 1, Kavarna mayor Tsonko Tsonev announced. Apocalyptica's visit is part of their world tour and their only concert in Bulgaria will be in Kavar...full article
Greek Aegean Airlines Take off to Sofia
Greek Aegean Airlines will start servicing flights from Athens to Bulgaria's capital Sofia on March 27. The prices for one-way travel are set at EUR 98,00, EUR 16 of fuel surcharge included. The total charge for the return ticket is EUR 196. The prices do not ...full article
Bulgaria Awaits Legendary Sting in the Summer.
The summer of 2006 will turn out to be among the greatest experiences for all Bulgarian music fans as some of the greatest world music stars have already placed the Balkan country on their tour maps. Legendary Sting, Alice Copper, Ronny James Dio are only a sm...full article
Tourism Authority Lands Hand to Sofia 2014
Bulgaria's Tourism Authority has declared its full support and cooperation to Sofia 2014 bid. The recently appointed tourism chief Mario al-Jebourri and Sofia Mayor Boyko Borissov signed an agreement for strengthening the administrative and expert capacity of ...full article
Boom of 6.3% Predicted for Bulgaria's Tourism Sector in 2006
Bulgaria 's travel and tourism sector is expected to grow 6.3 % in 2006 and by 4.3 % per annum, in real terms, between 2007 and 2016, a survey of World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) shows. According to the survey tourism in Bulgaria in 2006 will generate U...full article
Bulgaria Invites 1 M Koreans to the Seaside
Nearly 1 million Koreans are expected to come to Bulgaria's seaside after 2007, local media reports. Bulgaria's embassy in Seoul will make a special presentation of the Balkan country, 24 Hours daily reported Saturday. Official figures show that annually nearl...full article
Bulgaria in TUI Top 10 Summer Hotspots
German concern TUI, Europe's largest travel company, has placed Bulgaria in its Top 10 of summer holiday hotspots. Bulgaria is placed on the tenth position in the prestigious TUI ranking for the priority summer 2006 destinations, Romanian newspaper Cotidianul ...full article
TUI Nordic sees 10% uptick in Bulgarian bookings
Tour operator TUI Nordic expects to sell 10% more Bulgarian holiday packages in '06 after assisting 65,000 Scandinavian tourists to book summer vacations here last year, said the company's local representative Valentin Yosifov. Bulgarian hoteliers are hoping S...full article
Independent: Bulgaria Enchants Britons
"Investment has been the incentive for most buyers in Bulgaria, with off-plan apartments forming the bulk of sales. But a new trend is emerging as a growing number of Brits encounter the charms of this diverse country and opt to move there permanently", Indepe...full article
Bulgaria use of Visa cards for online payments abroad up 126% in '05.
The value of Internet payments made by Bulgarians using Visa credit cards zoomed up by over 100% in 2005, shows data of the international credit card company released on Wednesday, March 15. The value of electronic payments to non-native vendors topped $14.3 m...full article
British Airways to launch Varna-London flights in late March.
British Airways will open a regular Varna-London service on Mar 29. The flight will be performed on Wednesday and Saturdays until the end of May. Two more flights will be added from June 6. Return fares will start from 150 euro. Low-cost carrier Thomsonfly, a ...full article
German tourists cooling on Bulgaria.
The ITB international tourism fair that wrapped up in Berlin confirmed Bulgaria's declining popularity as a holiday destination on the German market. German tour operators ITS and TUI said bookings are currently lagging the year-ago period by 5% and 20%, respe...full article
Bulgarian carrier Hemus Air to start flights to London, Berlin.
Bulgarian private carrier Hemus Air will launch flights from Sofia to London and Berlin from April 9 and intends to operate a regular service to all European capitals within 2 years, said the company's executive director Dimitar Pavlov. Hemus Air will fly to L...full article
Bulgaria's "New Eldorado For Wine"
Recent years have seen a revival in Bulgarian winemaking, London-based Decanter Magazine wrote in its March issue. There is an almost infectious enthusiasm for a new wave of high-quality wines, according to the story. It pointed out the intense inflow of forei...full article
Bulgaria's Tourism Sector "Needs State Support"
Bulgaria's tourism sector will need additional state support, should the authorities lift the currently used state preferences, it appeared after a meeting between Bulgaria's president and representatives of the tourism sector. Bulgaria's President Georgi Parv...full article
Bulgarians Boost Foreign Trips
Bulgarians tend to travel more outside the country, according to data published on Saturday. Last year cross-border travels increased by 9.1% as compared to 2004. The state radio said that Bulgarians realized more than 4.2 million trips in a year. Most of thos...full article
Bulgarians Enter World Traveller's Poll
Bulgarian votes will be included in an influential world survey on favourite travel destinations. The next edition of the annual Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse Survey will reflect the Bulgarian preferences for the first time, media said. Bulgarians will be ab...full article
Sofia, Seaside Presented at Moscow Top Forum
Bulgaria's capital Sofia and the seaside resorts of Nessebar and Tsarevo will be introduced to international tourism professionals, starting Sunday. Ten Bulgarian firms are taking part in Moscow's ITM 2006. The expo is universally recognised as the leading tra...full article
No-frills carrier Germanwings sees potential in Southern, Eastern Europe
Low-cost carrier Germanwings sees promising potential in Southern and Eastern Europe, Joachim Klein, member of Germanwings board of directors, was quoted as saying by Global Travel Industry News. Currently, the Balkan destinations serviced by Germanwings are A...full article
More Hungarian tour operators to market Bulgaria
Hungarian travel companies Utas Tours, TGV Tours, Jalta Tours, Avantgarde and Gulet Touristik have added Bulgaria to their '06 catalogues after the UTAZAS tourism fair that wrapped up in Budapest. Bulgaria reported a fractional drop in the number of Hungarian ...full article
Bulgarian parliament oks national flag-carrier sell-off strategy
The Bulgarian parliament approved on Thursday the strategy for the privatisation of a 99.9% stake in national flag-carrier Bulgaria Air. The two-stage competitive procedure is open to strategic and financial investors but not consortia thereof. The Bulgarian s...full article
Tour operator TUI sees doubling of Bulgarian summer bookings
Thomson and Portland Holiday Direct, units of tour operator TUI UK, plan to increase the number of Bulgarian holiday packages sold in Britain to 70,000 this year, up from 33,000 in '05, Dnevnik learned from TUI Bulgaria manager Valentin Yosifov. TUI's carrier ...full article
Bulgaria Leader in Real Estate Yields
Bulgaria was declared top overseas property hotspot in a ranking of a London consultancy that compared the total return on cash in real estate markets. With yields rising to 12 per cent and capital gains remaining impressive at 36 per cent, Assetz assessed the...full article
Croatia added to easyJet destinations
British low-cost air carrier easyJet will start to fly from London's Gatwick airport to Croatian cities Rijeka and Split from this summer, reports breakingtravelnews.com. The company's regional reach includes also Athens, Istanbul and Ljubljana. EasyJet has be...full article
Hunting Tourism Revenues Up in Bulgaria
Revenues from Bulgarian hunting tourism have increased by half a million levs on a year-on-year basis. In 2005 Bulgaria cashed in BGN 4.2 M (about EUR 2.1 M) from this type of tourism, Deputy Agriculture Minister Stefan Yurukov announced on Wednesday. Yet, com...full article
Varna port arrivals seen at 20,000 in '06
Traffic via the passenger cruise terminal in Varna is seen at 20,000 this year, up from 11,500 in '05, said Valentin Kitanov, chief of the terminal facility. The number of cruise ships at that will dock at the terminal will increase to 16 from 11 in '05. The f...full article
103 Foreign Millionaires Swoosh Down Bansko's Ski Tracks
103 millionaires from Austria, Germany, and Italy gathered to try out the slopes of Bulgaria's skiing resort of Bansko for a couple of days. The business moguls were invited by the resort's concessionary Yulem Stockholding Company. Bulgaria's State Tourism Age...full article
Romania Says It Lost Tourism War to Bulgaria
Bulgaria's higher quality of services and lower prices are beyond comprehension for Romanians, Romania's newspaper Cotidianul wrote in an article entitled "Romania Lost Tourism War to Bulgaria". The article attributes the successful development of Bulgaria's t...full article
Bulgaria to open railway mkt to foreign carriers
EU-based railway carriers will gain access to the Bulgarian market when the country's admitted to the union, say the amendments to the Railway Transport Act posted for discussion on the website of the transport ministry. Bulgaria has so far licensed only 2 pri...full article
Bulgaria's Tourism Opportunities Presented in China
Bulgaria is being presented as a tourism destination at the Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market that kicked off on Monday to continue to April 5. Bulgaria is participating in the event for the second time, the State Tourism Agency explained. Last y...full article
President Parvanov Invites UK's Business to Bulgaria
After the political support voiced by British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Bulgaria's route to the EU, we are now looking for the business' support, President Georgi Parvanov told the Lord Mayor of the City of London David Brewer and business representatives. ...full article
Greek Aegean Airlines Enters Bulgarian Market
Greek Aegean Airlines started servicing flights from Athens to Bulgaria's capital Sofia every day in support of the growing efforts of Greek businesses to penetrate the markets of Eastern Europe. The maiden flight took place on March 27, but the company is and...full article
Smart Wings arrives on Bulgarian sea coast
Czech budget carrier Smart Wings was quoted by news agency SeeNews as saying on Mon it would launch flights from Prague to the Bulgarian Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas in June '06. Flights will be operated two times a week, on Tuesday and Friday, the com...full article
Austrian Retirees Open Tourism Season in Posh Bulgarian Resort
A total of 700 tourists from the Austrian Pensioners' Association are to arrive for a vacation at the Bulgarian posh resort Albena. In the days to May 18 some 1300 Austrian tourists will come to the Black Sea resort. They will be aquatinted with Bulgaria's his...full article
Bulgarian Tourism Organizations Unite
The National union of the Bulgarian tourism industry will be established on April 25. The new organization will unite the Bulgarian hoteliers and restaurateurs association (BHRA), the Bulgarian association of the tourism agencies (BATA) and the Bulgarian touri...full article
Bulgarian Property Market "Steals Spain's Limelight"
While property investment in Spain has rarely been off the radar for years now, emerging property markets including Bulgaria and Cyprus have inevitably stolen some of the limelight, UK experts believe. House price growth has remained strong in Spain, however, ...full article
Balchik awards marina concession
The municipal council of Balchik, on the Black Sea, has granted a 35-year concession for the civic yacht port to the Marina-Balchik consortium which lodged the only bid for the contract. The concessionaire undertakes to invest 2 mln levs in the facility, incre...full article
Bulgaria Presented at Belgrade Tourism Bourse
Bulgaria as a tourism destination will be presented at the 28th edition international tourism bourse in Belgrade - IFTS'06. More than 520 national and regional companies will be presented at the expo that opened doors Wednesday. In 2005 534,474 tourists from S...full article
BA Cuts Prices, Challenges Low Cost Airlines
British Airways announced it is slashing prices to almost all short-haul European destinations. The company is the first traditional airliner to down one-ways by up to 50% of the total charge for a round-trip ticket for all classes. The fare for a one-way tick...full article
Balkan Holidays: Bulgaria winter bookings up 35%
Tour operator Balkan Holidays said the number of British tourists that visited Bulgaria's ski resorts Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo during the '05-'06 winter season rose 35% to 25,000, said Ilia Chuturkov, the company's marketing and advertising manager. Some...full article
Berlin Busses to Invite Tourists to Bulgaria
Busses in Berlin will be adorned with ads of a new tourist destination - Bulgaria - Mario Al-Jebouri, head of the State Tourism Agency, announced. Nine bus lines in some of the most-populated areas of Berlin will advertise the Balkan hotspot to all the passers...full article
Bulgaria Revives Tourism-Wine Bond
A festival in Bulgaria's far south has tried to rediscover the connection between local tourism and wine-producing traditions. "Wine and Tourism" filled the sunny town of Sandanski with good mood for a total of three days, media reported. Its aim was to boost ...full article
Bulgaria Advertised at Arabian Tourism Expo
Bulgaria's State Tourism Agency has its own stand at the Arabian Travel Market tourism exhibition that opens Tuesday in Dubai's World Trade Center. During the following four days the Arabian Travel Market will gather exhibitors of over 90 countries, in what pr...full article
British Airways will fly with the Bulgarian air company to London every Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Bulgaria's flag carrier has added to its summer schedule regular flights from the Black Sea coast of Varna to a number of European capitals, the city airport announced. Bulgaria Air and Austrian Airlines will jointly service daily flights from Varna to Vienna....full article
TUI sees 10% bump in Austrian arrivals '06
European tour operator TUI expects to sell 10% more Bulgarian holiday packages to Austrian customers in '06, said the company's local rep Valentin Yosifov. The bookings, seen at 6,000 this year, will be made through TUI's subsidiary Gulet Touristik. TUI partne...full article
Varna airport sees 10% uptick in '06 flights
The airport in the city of Varna, on the Black Sea, kicked off its '06 charter program with 26 domestic and international flights on May 1, said Ivilina Koeva from the airport's press office. The airport will process 1,225 charter flights in May. Over 10 new a...full article
Bulgaria to Lure More Russian Tourists
Bulgaria will be presented as a tourism destination at the international expo MITF '2006 in Moscow. The country's presentation is organized by the State Tourism Agency. The Moscow International Travel Fair will be held in Moscow in May11 to 14. It provides the...full article
UAE air carrier mulls flights to Bulgaria.
RAK Airways, a UAE air carrier based in Ras Al Khaimah, said it may launch flights to Bulgaria as the Balkan state could offer onward connections for UAE-bound European travellers. The base of the air carrier is 70 km from Dubai. Bulgarian general consul to UA...full article
St.Vlas yacht marina to open in mid-June.
Bulgaria's biggest yacht marina, Marina Dinevi, will open near the St.Vlas resort on the Black Sea in June, said Georgi Mihov from Venid-Yacht, the local company that will manage the facility. Venid Yacht is owned by construction company Dinevi&Co. The marina ...full article
New Winter Resort to Rise in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria will see the building of a new winter resort near Smolyan in the Rhodope Mountains. "Sports and Tourism Centre Perelik" plan to invest over EUR 255 M - an amount that won them a first class investment certificate by the State Investments Agency. This ...full article
Bulgarian ski resort Bansko adds 150 accommodation facilities.
More than 150 new hotels, guest houses and holiday complexes were registered between December 2005 and May 2006 in Bulgarian ski resort town Bansko, in the Pirin mountain. The bed capacity of the resort now stands at 7,000. Over 100 mln euro were invested in c...full article
Foreign Tourists Prefer Bulgaria's Capital in the Wintertime.
Bulgaria's capital Sofia and the winter resorts were among the most preferred destinations for the foreign tourists in the wintertime, it appeared Tuesday. For the first three months of the year Sofia attracted the attention of the greatest part of the foreign...full article
Samokov municipality to call shots in Super Borovets project
The Samokov municipality may become the king-maker among the shareholders of Rila Samokov 2004, a company specially incorporated to implement the Super Borovets project, if a June 12 general meeting approves a proposal to adopt a 4/5 majority rule for manageme...full article
Depeche Mode Meet The Simpsons in Sofia.
Megastars Depeche Mode, who will perform in Bulgaria in two weeks, will be surprised to find the famous Simpson family in the audience. The Simpsons have "arrived" in Bulgaria and will tour numerous cities, visiting concerts and starring in TV shows. The visit...full article
Bulgarians Travel Visa-Free to Israel
Bulgarians will be able to travel without visas for a stay of up to 90 days in Israel, according to a bilateral draft agreement. The document removing visa requirements for citizens of either state was approved Thursday by the Bulgarian cabinet. Under the draf...full article
Bulgaria Joins European Common Aviation Area
Bulgaria officially joined the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA). The European Union signed an agreement for the creation of a European Common Aviation Area with Bulgaria, seven more countries from South Eastern Europe, Norway and Iceland. The others includ...full article
Bulgaria opens skies to EU air carriers.
Bulgaria has opened its civil aviation market to competition with the signing June 9 of European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) pact. The EU agreed the pact with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and the U....full article
Bulgarian Leaflet to Attract More Dutch Tourists
A special prepared leaflet presenting Bulgaria as an attractive tourism destination is to attract more Dutch tourists to the Balkan country. The leaflet was prepared by Bulgaria's Embassy in the Netherlands, the Service for trade and economic relations - Hague...full article
Fraport wins Varna, Burgas airport concession contract.
The Bulgarian government has picked Germany's Fraport to run two large airports in the Black Sea tourist hotspots of Varna and Bourgas, a government source familiar with the process told news agency Reuters on Wednesday. Earlier, the EU candidate's transport m...full article
Borovets ski runs to be treated with U.S. equipment
Borosport AD, the company managing the skiing facilities in Bulgarian mountain resort Borovets, said it has imported U.S. hydroseeding equipment for the maintenance and recultivation of the resort's ski runs, becoming the first local user of this modern techno...full article
Polish Travel Agents to Increase Number of Bulgaria Bookings
Some of the major Polish travel agents plan to increase the number of bookings for this year's summer season in Bulgaria. Agents like Itaka, Ecco Holiday,Open Travel Group, Adriatyk, Selva Travel and Alfa Star have decided to undertake that step due to the inc...full article
Russian Tourists Prefer Bulgaria to Turkey
More and more Russian tourists chose travelling to Finland and Bulgaria over the summer than going to Turkey. Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, director of the Federal Tourism Agency, was cited by the Russian online edition "Finansovi izvestia" as saying that since the ...full article
Thomas Cook sees 5% pop in British arrivals '06
The soccer world cup in Germany slowed Bulgaria bookings for May and June, a blip that could be overcome in July, August and September, said Hristo Kolev, the local representative of tour operator Thomas Cook UK. The company official forecast 23,000-24,000 arr...full article
Bulgaria's Bansko Puts Brake on Booming Construction
Bulgaria's famous Bansko mountain resort, once a haven for winter sports but now seeking a year-round appeal, announced plans to restrict construction activities. The resort town that sits 150km south of Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, has seen lately construction ...full article
Russian Reporters to Explore Bulgaria's Tourism.
A group of journalists from leading Russian media have arrived in Bulgaria to explore its tourism potential, it was announced on Tuesday. Until July 17, the Russians will get familiar with Bulgaria's rose oil and wine industries, as well as with cultural, sea ...full article
Rock Hearth of Bulgaria to Meet Golfers
The small Black Sea coast of Kavarna, which has earned the glory of "rock capital", is on the way now to have its own golf field. The town's mayor Tsonko Tsonev, awarded Man of 2006, turned Saturday the first sod of a major investment project, thus opening a n...full article
Neckermann sees doubling of Bulgaria bookings in France, Poland and Hungary
Tour operator Neckermann, part of Thomas Cook, expects to double the Bulgarian holiday packages sold in Poland and Hungary this year, said the company's local representative Hristo Kolev. Kolev said the number of Polish holiday-makers that will visit Bulgaria'...full article
Bulgaria's Tourist Trade Set for "Bumper Year in 2006"
Bulgaria has seen its popularity among tourists rocket in recent years and the country's tourist trade looks set to see another bumper year in 2006, forecast the property investment specialists from leading UK company Assetz. "With the growth of low-cost trave...full article