BULGARIAN RESORT BANSKO TO HAVE 100 HOTELS BY START OF '05-'06 SKI SEASON
Dnevnik, 04.07.05
Bulgarian resort Bansko to have 100 hotels by start of '05-'06 ski season
Dnevnik, 04.07.05
Dnevnik, 04.07.05
Bansko, the ski resort town located some 160 km south of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, will head into the 2005/2006 winter season with some 100 hotels, up from 40 the year before, said deputy mayor Lazar Zahov.
Bansko's capacity of 4,400 beds is expected to double before the start of the new skiing season.
In May-June, the Bansko municipality granted 11 permits for the construction of hotels with a combined built-up area of 25,000 sq m. Eight of the new hotels will have a four-star rating will the rest will belong to the three-star category. The resort town will get its first five-star hotel with the launch of Grand Arena, part of the Kempinski international hotel chain.
A total of 50 facilities - hotels and residential buildings, are currently under construction in the Bansko area.
The pervasive construction puts a serious strain on the resort's infrastructure, an area that could see as much as 10 mln levs in investment before the new tourist season. A month ago, mayor Alexander Kravarov said the municipality is seeking external financing for a portion of the 20 mln lev project for the reconstruction of the civic water mains and road infrastructure.
Tourist arrivals are expected to gain 5% this season, said Zahov.
A total of 400,000 avid skiers visited the resort last year.
Bansko's capacity of 4,400 beds is expected to double before the start of the new skiing season.
In May-June, the Bansko municipality granted 11 permits for the construction of hotels with a combined built-up area of 25,000 sq m. Eight of the new hotels will have a four-star rating will the rest will belong to the three-star category. The resort town will get its first five-star hotel with the launch of Grand Arena, part of the Kempinski international hotel chain.
A total of 50 facilities - hotels and residential buildings, are currently under construction in the Bansko area.
The pervasive construction puts a serious strain on the resort's infrastructure, an area that could see as much as 10 mln levs in investment before the new tourist season. A month ago, mayor Alexander Kravarov said the municipality is seeking external financing for a portion of the 20 mln lev project for the reconstruction of the civic water mains and road infrastructure.
Tourist arrivals are expected to gain 5% this season, said Zahov.
A total of 400,000 avid skiers visited the resort last year.
