Suzanne
10-03-08, 03:15 PM
Pamporovo is the major Bulgarian Rhodope ski resort, situated in southern Bulgaria, some 30 km from this country’s border with Greece. It is traditionally the best holiday choice of many foreign vacationers, particularly such from the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece. Skiing in Pamprovo is possible even when the snow is 15 cm thick only because there are practically no stones on the nearby mountain slopes. The present lift capacity is 8 600 people per hour, and the total piste length is 55 km. More than 5 million Euro was invested over the 2005-2007 on spot of Pamporovo for making the ski runs longer, more diverse and better.
However, improving the pistes in the area is not the only condition for attracting a bigger number of tourists, Lyubomir Sankiiski, principal of the local ski school, admits. Pamporovo has to do a lot of work in order to be competitive to the other ski resorts in Bulgaria, particularly in terms of increasing the ski zone. This could be done in the direction of the nearby lying picturesque village of Stoikite, where a project for constructing a 6-seat cable car, 3 km in length, is underway. This lift is projected to service two new pistes, 6 km in length, which will be completed this year. The ambition is to connect the ski zones of Chepelare, Pamporovo and Pelerik. A new holiday village will probably be established on spot of Stoikite.
“The new pistes will be of varying difficulty – some for beginners, others – for advanced. Artificial snow cannons will also be mounted, and the excellent ski potential of the area will be further exploited”, Mr. Sankiiski says further.
“This winter season seems to be quite successful. 2 500 people per week reportedly chose Pamporovo at the time of the school holidays in the UK. The prices are found most affordable by English and Irish people mostly, who are more used to high holiday-making prices than other Europeans.
Our holiday packages have been very successful in terms of attracting English and Irish people, but we missed to catch enough German tourists, because the charter flights to Bulgaria landed in the capital Sofia, which is some 180 km from Pamporovo. However, now the resort is packed and I am more than sure it will be getting better and better. Chaotic construction, as is the case with almost all Bulgarian resorts, has also hit Pamporovo, but not to such a big extent. The thing is that hospitality managers should be on the same page and find a common language when certain problems, which could affect the whole resort, arise and when joint concerted action is needed to resolve them”, Mr Sankiiski says in conclusion.
Written by Vessela Vladkova
Translated by Ivan Videnov
http://www.bnr.bg/RadioBulgaria/Emission_English/Theme_Across_The_Map_Of_Bulgaria/Material/pamporovo.htm
However, improving the pistes in the area is not the only condition for attracting a bigger number of tourists, Lyubomir Sankiiski, principal of the local ski school, admits. Pamporovo has to do a lot of work in order to be competitive to the other ski resorts in Bulgaria, particularly in terms of increasing the ski zone. This could be done in the direction of the nearby lying picturesque village of Stoikite, where a project for constructing a 6-seat cable car, 3 km in length, is underway. This lift is projected to service two new pistes, 6 km in length, which will be completed this year. The ambition is to connect the ski zones of Chepelare, Pamporovo and Pelerik. A new holiday village will probably be established on spot of Stoikite.
“The new pistes will be of varying difficulty – some for beginners, others – for advanced. Artificial snow cannons will also be mounted, and the excellent ski potential of the area will be further exploited”, Mr. Sankiiski says further.
“This winter season seems to be quite successful. 2 500 people per week reportedly chose Pamporovo at the time of the school holidays in the UK. The prices are found most affordable by English and Irish people mostly, who are more used to high holiday-making prices than other Europeans.
Our holiday packages have been very successful in terms of attracting English and Irish people, but we missed to catch enough German tourists, because the charter flights to Bulgaria landed in the capital Sofia, which is some 180 km from Pamporovo. However, now the resort is packed and I am more than sure it will be getting better and better. Chaotic construction, as is the case with almost all Bulgarian resorts, has also hit Pamporovo, but not to such a big extent. The thing is that hospitality managers should be on the same page and find a common language when certain problems, which could affect the whole resort, arise and when joint concerted action is needed to resolve them”, Mr Sankiiski says in conclusion.
Written by Vessela Vladkova
Translated by Ivan Videnov
http://www.bnr.bg/RadioBulgaria/Emission_English/Theme_Across_The_Map_Of_Bulgaria/Material/pamporovo.htm