. bg ski news : Bulgaria Seduces with Low Prices - 15 December 2004 - 11:52
The most luresome thing for investors in Bulgaria is price and it is still an aread, which has proven very popular with Irish property investors, the Sunday Business Post online edition read.
Bulgaria is a burgeoning area for ski tourists, the article says, and the interest drawn to ski resorts here is more likely to be related to a vision of potential down the line, rather than purely being a price-based play.
Regular foreign visitors to the Balkan country will probably be well aware of the most popular ski resorts at Borovets, Pamporovo and Bansko. Along with these, the country is also developing further resorts in its beautiful mountains of Rila, Pirin and Rhodopes.
The Irish online edition reminds also of some latest rumours, though still unconfirmed, that the Ryanair carrier plans to start flights to Plovdiv airport, some 80 km from Pamporovo.
Bansko is featured as the fastest developing ski resort in Bulgaria, located in the Pirin mountains, around two and a half hours' drive from Sofia airport. It is reputed to have had the best snowcover of all Bulgarian ski resorts in recent years.
Also seen worth a mention for the Irish author is Dobrinishte, just six kilometres from Bansko. This area has its own ski piste and lift, and may turn into a ski resort over the coming years.
The Sofia-outskirted Vitosha Mountain is one of the more underrated skiing areas in Bulgaria having being developed as a ski resort during the communist era. Its obvious advantage from an accessibility point of view is that the capital's airport is just a ten-minute drive away.
It is likely that such a development will have a positive effect on property prices in the Sofia area, the article concludeds, while enhancing its reputation as a worthwhile ski resort from an investment perspective. Additionally, the residential area of the Vitosha outskirts is one of the most prestigious in Sofia, with house prices reaching six and sometimes even seven digits, quite considerable sums in Bulgarian terms.
It is certainly a market to keep an eye on for the future, and as such, has obvious attractions for the property investment community, as the Sunday Business Post draws a conclusion.
Business: 31 October 2004, Sunday.
novinite.com