From Novinite

The Bulgaria 2010 Review: Culture

Culture

A number of cultural events marked Bulgaria's public life in 2010.

Movies

The most successful Bulgarian sitcom entitled "
Third-Floor Clinic"
made a comeback 10 years after its first season was shown in 2000.

Even though it did not manage to become one of the final nominated movies, Bulgaria's "
The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner"
with Director Stephan Komandarev made it to the second phase in the race for the best foreign-language film Oscar. However, the movie won the audience award at the 21st international film fest in Valancienne, France.

The movie "
Eastern Plays"
of Bulgarian director Kamen Kalev won the grand prize at the "
Premier Plans"
Film Festival in Angers, France. In July, it also won the award for Best Movie for 2009 at the Bulgarian Film Academy ceremony. Bulgaria's National Film Center put forth "
Eastern Plays"
as the Bulgarian nomination for the US Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Several films receiving awards at one of the major international crossroads for the short form, the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, were shown at the Goethe Institute in Sofia in February.

The 14th edition of the Sofia International Film Festival in March presented almost 100 feature, 30 documentary and over 50 short films, in a variety of thematic festival categories. In addition to the traditional programs running in Plovdiv and Burgas, the festival also visited over 10 other Bulgarian cities, including Blagoevgrad, Stara Zagora, Ruse, Sliven, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Kardzhali and Lovech.

The producer of "
Dzift"
, the best Bulgarian movie for 2008, Matey Konstantinov, received the special award for best foreign film from the film fest in Salerno, Italy.

The 17-year-old student at the French Language High School in Sofia, Yulian Spasov, was the first Bulgarian teenager to have made a feature film. Spasov has single-handedly written, directed and shot a 100-minute film, entitled "
Teenday 3."


Another Bulgarian high-school student, Veselin Cholakov, was the Audience Winner for 2010 in the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle, USA.

The 8th edition of the International Film Festival for professional short films up to 45 min in length, "
In The Palace"
, held in the Bulgarian Black Sea town of Balchik, brought together filmmakers from 44 countries.

A summer art-cinema was opened in July at the garden of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, presenting theater plays during the day, as well as concerts and Bulgarian movies free of charge in the evenings.

It was announced in July that popular British actor Leslie Grantham will be starring in "
The English Neighbor"
, the newest sitcom of the Bulgarian National Television, based on the book with the same name by Bulgarian author and script-writer Mihail Veshim.

The most anticipated Bulgarian movie for 2010 "
Mission London"
of Director Dimitar Mitovski broke film records in the country and turned the most profitable Bulgarian movie ever made.

French top model Laetitia Casta and Danish actor Thure Lindhardt arrived to Bulgaria to participate in the new movie of Bulgarian director Kamen Kalev, "
The Island,"
which also features Bulgarian actors Boyka Velkova, Rusi Chanev, and Mihail Mutafov.

The 18th edition of the International Film Festival "
Love Is Folly"
was held in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna. It presented more movies than previous years and was enjoyed by more than 600 official guests.

Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna also hosted the 29th edition of the festival for Bulgarian feature film "
Golden Rose"
in October.

"
Lipsett Diaries"
, a film by Bulgarian filmmaker Theodore Ushev, was suggested by Canada's National Film Board for the 2011 Oscars nominations in the category for Best Animated Film.

The Bulgarian capital Sofia hosted its first ever independent film festival named So!Independent, which presented hit movies from the Sundance and Tribeca film festivals.

The Bulgarian ski resort Bansko hosted the 10th International festival of the Mountaineers Cinema in November.

Bulgarian film director Svetoslav Ovcharov became the star of the 34th edition of the prestigious International Film Festival held in Cairo, Egypt, in December. His movie "
Voice Over"
took the Best Director Award and the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI award at on of the most important and emblematic film events in the world.


Concerts

Spanish prominent singer, Concha Buika, a contemporary world music star who brings flamenco and jazz together with her smoky voice, had a concert in Sofia in April.

Legendary American song-writer and musician Bob Dylan has his first Bulgarian concert in Sofia in June.

Popular Spanish singer Julio Iglesias staged a concert in Bulgaria in October, as part of his "
Starry Night"
tour.

World famous jazz singer Natalie Cole performed for the first time in Bulgaria in July.

Two important and much-loved Bulgarian folk music festivals – Pirin Sings and the Gela village gathering – took place in July.

The London Bulgarian Choir had its second ever tour of Bulgaria in August.

The third edition of the summer music festival Spirit of Burgas was held in August and it presented various Bulgarian and international musicians, like The Prodigy, Apollo 440, Unkle, Gorillaz Sound System, Serj Tankian, System of a Down, Steve Harley, Gracity Co, D2, Ostava, Acoustic Trio 3000, Ruth Koleva, Wikeda and Review.

Citizens and guests of the Bulgarian capital enjoyed for three nights Leo Delibes' opera "
Lakme"
, which was staged in the park of the G.S.Rakovski National Military Academy in September.

The Grammy Award-winning singer Angelique Kidjo, known as "
Africa's premier diva"
, had her first concert in Bulgaria in October.

More than 15,000 people gathered to see the legendary German rock band Scorpions live for the last time at the band's farewell concert in Sofia in October.

Legendary composer and Deep Purple co-founder, Jon Lord, had his second concert in Bulgaria in October. Just like the previous concert, held in 2009, the performance was together with Sofia's Philharmonic Orchestra and the musicians from the Bulgarian band Te (They).

Peco de Lucia, the legendary flamenco musician, ended his European tour with a concert in the Bulgarian capital in December.

One of the most popular gospel groups in America, Harlem Gospel Choir, had its second concert in Sofia, presenting gospel hymns, as well as popular music, mostly songs by Michael Jaclkson.

French composer Yann Tiersen performed in Bulgaria for the first time in December.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra performed for the first time in the Bulgarian capital in December. The concert was part of the orchestra's short tour of South-East Europe.

The Kings of Swing, Glenn Miller Orchestra, arrived to Bulgaria once again to stage two concerts in Sofia and in the Black Sea city of Varna in December.



Music

Voters selected Bulgarian pop singer Miro to represent the country at the 2010 Eurovision contest with his song "
Angel Si Ti"
(You Are an Angel). Unfortunately, he could not qualify for the second round of the contest.

The voice of the young Bulgarian singer Radka Varimezova was featured in the soundtrack of the top Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Her voice appears in the culmination of the movie, singing in the Na'vi language that was made up especially for the movie.

The music of the Argentinean movie El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret of Their Eyes), winner of the Oscar for Foreign Film, was performed by the Bulgarian symphonic orchestra SIF 309, which was founded by prominent pianist Victor Chuchkov and managed by his wife Elena Chuchkova, also a piano player.

Sonya Yoncheva, a 28-year-old Bulgarian soprano, took the top prize in the prestigious Operalia competition founded and concluded by the Spanish tenor Placido Domingo. The prize is widely considered to be a launching pad into an opera career not only for the winners of the top prizes, but also for the 40 contestants who participated in the weeklong event, held this year at Milan's famed La Scala opera house.

Bulgarian piano player Evgeni Bozhanov won the second prize in the renown Queen Elizabeth Music Contest in Belgium in May.

Bulgaria organized a charity concert for Haiti in Sofia in May. The concert was set to raise money for the re-building of the National cinema-theater "
Triumph"
in Haiti after it was destroyed by the devastating earthquake at the beginning of 2010.

The Sofia Rocks 2010 Sonisphere Festival gathered some of the world's most emblematic metal and rock bands - Metallica, Slayer, Rammstein, Megadeth, Anthrax, Manowar, Alice in Chains and Stone Sour.

The most popular Bulgarian folk song, "
Izlel e Delyo Haidutin"
, sung most famously by Valya Balkanska, was used in National Geographic's documentary movie "
Restrepo"
, which shows the life of American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Bulgaria celebrated 120th anniversary since the establishment of operatic art in the country with a series of events.

Bulgaria joined the new music festival for children called "
Love Music Festival"
, which was on tour in Scotland in November. It brought together artists from Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, France, Mali, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.

The new DVD and Blue-ray entitled "
The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria"
, filmed last June at a gig starring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, reached double platinum status in France and Australia,and gold in several countries. The gig was recorded at the Sofia Rocks 2010 Sonisphere Festival.



Theater

Bulgaria's National Theater the emblematic play "
Hashove"
(roughly translated as "
exiles"
) by Ivan Vazov to the Bulgarian diaspora in the Romanian capital Bucharest on the occasion of Liberation Day, March 1.

Bulgarian students form the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts (NATFIZ) participated in the World Festival of Theater Schools in Lima, Peru.



Exhibitions

Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov launched in January the exhibit titled "
On the Path of History,"
which was dedicated to the ancient Bulgarian capitals.

Famous American painter and world-renowned master of pop art, Hunt Slonem, arrived to Sofia in April to personally open two exhibits in the Bulgarian capital.

The Bulgarian "
Bells"
, built during the communist era and associated mostly with it, rang again after the official opening ceremony in Sofia in June.

Bulgaria's National Art Gallery opened in July an exhibition dedicated to the 120th birthday of one of the most renowned Bulgarian artists, Nikola Tanev. The exhibition featured a total of 150 works of the artist, including one of the 28 paintings which was stolen from his museum house in Sofia in 1999 and was recovered in 2010 as it was brought to the National Art Gallery by a collector who acquired it in London.

Bulgaria's National Art Gallery in Sofia presented the full collection of 74 bronze sculptures by the French impressionist Edgar Degas.

An open-air photo exhibit called "
Bulgaria in Brilliance"
, dedicated to the history of Christianity in the Bulgarian lands and the Bulgarian contribution to the world cultural heritage, was opened in downtown Sofia in September.

Archaeological treasure from ancient Thrace found around the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak was agreed to be displayed in the Russian city of Tolyatti.

Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv became the host of an exhibit of works of Israel's top artists in October.

Unique illustrations by the prominent Spanish painter Salvador Dali were shown in the National Gallery of Foreign Art in Sofia. The exposition marked the beginning of the famous graphic collection Divine Comedy's global tour.


Art

In March, Bulgaria's Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, was invited by the International Academy of Culture and Art in Moscow to receive a special award for lifetime artistic achievements.

Bulgarian state leaders initiated the construction of a brand new top museum also known as the "
Bulgarian Louvre."
Yanko Apostolov, a Bulgarian architect, living in New York, was selected as winner in the public tender for the design of the new museum.

A bronze monument of the most prominent Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov was inaugurated at the Thorvaldsen square in the Italian capital Rome.

Bulgaria's traditional Apollonia Festival of Arts was launched in August in the southern Black Sea resort town of Sozopol.

The first edition of the "
London Festival of Bulgarian Culture"
was held November 2-26 in London.

Bulgarian-born artist Christo received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Goldene Henne Media Awards ceremony at the Friedrichstadt Palace in Berlin.

The world's first monument to late legendary rock singer Ronnie James Dio was unveiled in the Bulgarian "
rock capital"
Kavarna in October. More than 500 people, including Joey DeMaio from heavy metal greats Manowar and ex AC/DC and Dio drummer Simon Wright, honored the ceremony.

The Black Sea city of Burgas opened in November a monument of Petya Dubarova, a poetess that touches the hearts of Bulgarians to this day despite the fact that she left behind a single book of poems published posthumously.

Bulgaria's Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov announced he is planning to bring back the atmosphere of the demolished Sofia mausoleum of Communist leader Georgi Dimitrov, which was torn down in August 1999.

Chief Architect of Sofia, Petar Dikov, declared his intention to downsize and update the list of buildings in the Bulgarian capital that are listed as culture monuments.



Books

Renowned Argentinean psychotherapist, psychodramatist and writer, Jorge Bucay, visited Bulgaria in June to take part in the "
Plovdiv Reads"
festival, held in Bulgaria's second largest city.

German top investigative journalist Jurgen Roth arrived to Sofia in November to present the Bulgarian edition of his new book "
Gangsterwirtschaft"
("
Gangster Economy"
).

Bulgarian author Dimitar Nedkov and his two-volume novel "
The Bulgarian's Sign"
intrigued politicians, intellectuals, financial experts, journalists, literary critics, writers and magistrates in Bulgaria. The message of the book is that the Bulgarian nation must realize its contributions to the spiritual progress of the global civilization.

French political scientist and educator, Nadège Ragaru, published her book titled "
Les temporalités feuilletées du présent. La Bulgarie vingt ans après 1989"
on the Bulgarian transition period after the fall of the communist regime.



Initiatives

During three Sundays in a row, the "
Tsar Ivan Shishman"
street in downtown Sofia was closed for traffic in order to hold a street fair, organized by the Bulgarian capital's City Hall. Sofia residents and guests enjoyed a rich entertainment program, which included arts and crafts for children and adults, games, sports contests, concerts, art displays and drama performances.

Bulgaria's Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova signed an agreement for opening of a Regional Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Southeastern Europe in Sofia.


Scandals

Bulgarian actress and film director Michelle Bonev stirred a huge scandal in Italy. Her movie, "
Farewell to Mom"
has been sold to Italy's state-owned TV company RAI for the price of EUR 1 and it also won an allegedly fabricated award at the Venice Film Festival. According to Italian media, her participation in the festival was sponsored by the Italian government under the influence of Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi, who is Bonev's friend.

Further, Italian media alleged that the participation of a 40-strong Bulgarian delegation at Venice led by the Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov has also been covered by the Italian government. Some voices demanded the resignation of Italian Minister of Culture Sandro Bondi.



Protests

After collecting over 20,000 signatures against the eviction of the popular Sofia theater "
Salza I Smiah,"
(Tears and :Laugh:ter) mediation was reached and the theater remained in its building "
Slavianska Besseda"
community center after all.

Many protests were organized in the second half of 2010 against the proposed reform, which aims at optimizing Bulgaria's state-funded theater system and reducing spending by introducing cuts and mergers of theater entities.

A number of Bulgarian film directors and producers left the annual Golden Rose film festival in the Black Sea city of Varna as a sign of protest against the government's failure to abide by legislative norms and refusal to duly support the Bulgarian cinema.


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The Bulgaria 2010 Review: Tourism

Tourism

Top Recognitions

Bulgaria Makes It to CNN's Top 2011 Tourist Destinations

Just days before the end of 2010 Bulgaria was listed among the top nine global tourist destinations for 2011 in a CNN article.

Building upon recommendations from three travel experts, Robert Reid, US travel editor for Lonely Planet;
Pauline Frommer, creator of Pauline Frommer's guidebooks;
and Martin Rapp, senior vice president of leisure sales at Altour, the CNN article places Bulgaria ninth in a list also featuring New York City, New Zealand, the Peruvian Amazon, Barcelona, Norway, Albania, Japan, and Guatemala.

Bulgaria has been recommended by Robert Reid, pointing out it has the best Black Sea coastline for beach enthusiasts and offers great skiing in the mountains in the winter.

"
I love doing road trips in Bulgaria. It begs for it. It's beautiful, and there's not much traffic. It feels very safe,"
said Reid, who rode around the country last year in a Soviet-era 1972 Moskovich, which he bought for USD 500.

Reid recommended visiting Veliko Tarnovo, an ancient capital, and the picturesque city of Plovdiv, home to Roman ruins.

Lonely Planet Bulgaria among Top 10 Countries to Visit in 2011

The globally renowned travel guide Lonely Planet's has ranked Bulgaria fifth among the top 10 countries for 2011.

The first four spots are taken by Albania, Brazil, Cape Verde and Panama, while Vanuatu, Italy, Tanzania, Syria and Japan are behind Bulgaria.

"
For those who looked, Bulgaria has always had its moments – in its biggest cities, on its snow-capped peaks and great-value ski fields, on its golden-sand beaches and in ancient Black Sea port towns. Yet, over the years, with history's contribution, Bulgaria has got lost amid its more famous neighbours....Whatever happens, Bulgarians will take it in their stride. As one local song goes, 'We win, we lose...either way we get drunk, we're Bulgarians!' That oughta be on a T-shirt,"
the publication reads.

The "
Lonely Planet"
travel guides are considered to be the fastest and among the best in the world. The first one, dedicated to travels in Asia ,was published in 1974. Today Lonely Planet is the largest tourist information publisher in the world.

Bulgaria Crowned Top Beach Destination for UK Travelers

Bulgaria has been named the number one beach holiday destination for UK holiday-makers this summer in a brand new ranking released at the end of July.

Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast emerged as the top beach destination for the summer 2010, closely followed by North Tunisia, Antalya in Turkey, and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, according to the study, commissioned by Kelkoo, and conducted by the Center for Economics and Business Research.

The study rated the world's most popular beach destinations using the latest official statistics to assess the performance of 10 key travel criteria, including: climate, security, local affordability of goods and services, quality of food, the cost of flights and accommodation, tourist attractions, and the exchange rate.

The top destinations rank highest due to their affordability, which is a key issue when it comes to booking a beach break. According to the index 85% of those surveyed say affordability is their top concern, with security (81%), weather (78%) and good food (77%) also deemed to be of critical importance.

"
In the current climate, British holidaymakers seem to be more cost-conscious than ever,"
says Bruce Fair of Kelkoo UK. "
Criteria that matter most seem to be value for money and affordability."


The survey offered a damning indictment of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Sydney (Australia), which rank lowest mostly due to the high price of flights to reach them and lack of safety.

Bulgaria's Bansko Named World's Best Value Ski Resort

Bansko, Bulgaria's biggest ski resort, is the second-cheapest resort for British skiers in the world, according to new research by the Post Office.

Poiana Brasov in Romania came top in a study comparing costs at 12 of the cheapest resorts. At GBP 259.53 for six skiing essentials, including a week's ski pass, ski hire, evening meals and drinks, Poiana Brasov was six per cent cheaper than Bansko in Bulgaria and up to 20 per cent cheaper than Slovenia's Kanin resort.

The news came at the end of October just days after Bansko was named the winter capital on the Balkans at an international tourism exhibition in the Serbian town of Novi Sad.

The little town bordering Pirin National Park, about 160 kilometers south of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, offers a stark but nice contrast between the cobbled streets and churches of the old town and hundreds of millions of euros poured into hotels, ski runs and bright blue gondola bubbles in its modern part.

Supervising all this is the roughly 2,800-meter Todorka peak.

The formerly off-the-beaten-path destination has recently gone mainstream, but it is very rarely that tourists see the vistas doom-sayers warn against - construction cranes and gaudy mutrobaroque hotels, favored by the nouveau riche and organized crime mobsters, known as mutri, with which they try to prove their wealth.

Tourists need to spend no more than 25 euros a night in those hotels, which exemplify Bansko's ambitions best – quite chic, but without the ridiculous attempts to be consmopolitan often found at Bulgarian resorts.

The old town, where the prices are lower even than the capital Sofia, is a collection of ski and souvenir shops with cozy, dimly lit taverns and restaurants. It is not unusual to see an entire lamb or pig roasting on a spit in front of one of the eateries.

The alternatives are the pubs, frequented by British, Irish and Greek tourists, who, together with the Russians, have until recently been the driving force of Bansko's prosperity.

Critics say Bansko was built to meet the standards of not that wealthy tourists, who do not bring lots of money to the country. As the global crisis bit, however, the number of these tourists, who out of fears for their jobs, decided to skip the holidays altogether, drastically decreased.

Bansko's long-term attraction will be limited, unless what is on offer complies with the highest standards, they say.

Promoting Bulgaria Abroad

Major TV Channels Air Reportages on Bulgaria Tourism

The major TV channels National Geographic, Eurosport and Euronews is sending TV crews to Bulgaria to shoot reportages on tourism in the country.

The visit of the international journalists is organized through a project for advertising the tourism industry in the country and is financed by the Operational Program "
regional Development."


The National Geographic crew has already arrived to Bulgaria and is working on reportages on the culture tourism and is filming the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the National Institute of Archaeology and Museum in Sofia, the Nativity of Christ Church in the village of Arbanasi, the Old Town of Plovdiv, the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, and the Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex near the city of Gabrovo.

The four reportages will be aired on National Geographic throughout 2011.

So far Eurosport has presented four reportages on the opportunities Bulgaria provide for golf, horse riding, biking and rock climbing.

In January, another Eurosport TV crew will arrive to Bulgaria to work on presenting the ski and snowboard opportunities in the country.

As of September 6, Bulgaria has been advertised as a year-round tourist destination on Euronews, Eurosport, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel.

However, the international tourism advertising campaign, and especially the choice of the international TV channels to advertise Bulgaria as a tourism destination, has suffered criticism by tour operators.

Bulgaria Sets Out to Rebrand Its Touristic Image in 2011

The Bulgarian tourism's rose logo will be probably substituted in 2011, as a project for the establishment of the country's touristic brand was launched at the end of December.

The project, which is estimated to cost some BGN 2.9 M, will focus on analyzing Bulgaria's tourism market, as well as the neighboring rival markets. A research will be carried out on whether the current vision of Bulgaria's touristic logo the is recognizable enough and whether it should be changed.

"
It is crucial for us to understand how our customers react to the brand's image, which is what they see – the logo, the slogan and the overall vision of the product. There is most probably going to be a new slogan. Bulgaria must be identified with something unique, which is completely different from all other destinations,"
Nikolay Yotovski, a representative of the Ministry of Tourism explained before the media.

Bulgaria's main rivals in the touristic market are Romania (cultural tourism), Austria and Italy (sri resorts) and Cyprus (sea resorts), according to the representative of the Ministry of Tourism.

Bulgaria to Lure Tourists with Website in Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew

The Bulgarian government plans to attract tourists from all around the world with an enhanced online catalog.

The project, entitled "
Multimedia Catalog of Touristic Objects and Electronic Marketing in Bulgaria"
, aims at further developing the already existing website bulgariatravel.org into a multilingual informative web resource, including versions in Spanish, French, Arabic, Japanese and Hebrew.

Until now, the information in bulgariatravel.org was available in Bulgarian, German, English and Russian.

International polls reveal that some 80% of the people who plan a vacation worldwide do a touristic destinations research on the Internet. That is the reason why the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism puts efforts into further enhancing the website.

The site is going to provide a rich collection of links with diverse information about Bulgaria. As much as 400 text documents, 4000 photos, 50 videos and 50 audio files are going to be included in the future enriched website.

The deadline for the project is December 2011, when bulgariatravel.org will start providing detailed information about the most fascinating destinations in Bulgaria in nine languages.

Tourism Sector Vs Bulgaria's State

Bulgaria to Introduce Flat 9% VAT in Tourism April 2011

Bulgaria will introduce a flat 9% value-added tax (VAT) in the tourism sector as of the beginning of April next year under amendments that parliament adopted at second reading on November 17.

The legal changes were tabled to parliament by the center-right government, but drew the ire of the right-wing Blue Coalition and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which proposed alternative texts only to see them turned down by the majority.

The introduction of a flat VAT for the tourism sector comes in response to the demand of the European Union that Bulgaria should harmonize tourism VAT, which currently stands at 7% for organized groups and 20% for individual tourism.

The government has said that the new tax had to be introduced at the beginning of 2011, but was delayed until April in bid to avoid messing up the tour operators business plans for the winter season.

The idea for a flat tourism VAT tax has sparked an outcry from tour operators and hoteliers, who called it "
ridiculous"
since all contract deals with foreign tour operators for the clients' vacations in Bulgaria in 2011 have already been signed and called for postponing the new tax until 2012.

Bulgaria approached the European Commission (EC) with an inquiry on the possibility to introduce a unified value-added tax (VAT) in the tourism sector from 2012, as proposed by the industry, but the proposal was rejected.

The government has defended its decision by saying this is not a fiscal measure, but a bid to avoid a sanction by Brussels for not putting on a par the two types of tourism - individual tourism and tourism for organized groups.

Tourism is one of, if not the most important industry for the perennially cash-strapped Bulgaria - it not only provides nearly 10% of the country's GDP, but is also a significant source of foreign currency and jobs. The industry has also been traditionally the favorite sector of those in power - it is the only one that enjoys a reduced value-added-tax.

Following its EU accession, Bulgaria was expected to capitalize on its tourism industry potential and benefit from the increased exposure and easier accessibility to its markets, but critics say it never made it to the breaking out of the champagne.

The economic growth that Bulgaria saw over the last few years was built upon the growth in construction, real estate and tourism sectors. The industry says the government should focus its efforts on the tourism sector and introduce a package of anti-crisis measures, now that the construction and real estate sectors are facing a collapse.

Bulgaria Rulers, Opposition Clash over Flat VAT in Tourism

Bulgaria's ruling party has opposed proposals for a delay in the introduction of a flat 9% value-added tax (VAT) in the tourism sector, scheduled for April 1, 2011.

"
I don't see why we should delay this move. If we do this in a bid to boost the summer season, tour operators may press the same demands for the winter season as well,"
commented Menda Stoyanova, head of the budget parliamentary commission, in the middle of December.

The statement came in response to a proposal for the introduction of the flat rate after the summer season, tabled to parliament by the right-wing Blue Coalition.

Earlier in December the opposition Socialist Party claimed the European Commission has not threatened with sanctions Bulgaria's government unless it introduces a flat 9% value-added tax (VAT) in the tourism sector next year.

"
There is nothing that makes the change in the VAT rate for the tourism sector that urgent,"
Socialist MEP Kristian Vigenin said, citing a statement of Algirdas Semeta, EU Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud.

In response to a question by Kristian Vigenin, Commissioner Semeta confirmed that the European Commission contacted the Bulgarian authorities over the issue in question, but did not mention the country has been threatened by sanctions.

Bulgaria Tourism Sector Cries Foul over Plans for VAT Hike

Plans, announced by Bulgaria's government at the beginning of the year, to increase the value-added tax by 2 percentage points to to 22 percent triggered vehement opposition by representatives of the tourism sector, saying the move will be detrimental for them.

"
Bulgaria's revenues from foreign tourists amount to EUR 2,5 B per year, which means that the tax hike may incur losses worth EUR 50 M,"
Lyubomir Pankovski, executive director of Alma Tour travel agency, told Pari daily.

Experts say a possible VAT increase will trigger a domino effect in the sector, which will bring about an increase in prices of the final packages offered to travelers and make Bulgaria highly uncompetitive in comparison with its neighbors.

The proposal was part of a package of new measures, which also included floating minority stakes in state-owned companies and a possible bond issue in a bid to help fight the economic crisis and keep down the fiscal deficit.

Representatives from all business sectors have cautioned that the hike in the value-added tax in Bulgaria should be a last-ditch measure that should only be introduced together with an overhaul in government expenditure.

Controversies

Bulgarian Court Brings to End Botanical Garden Saga

Bulgaria's Supreme Cassation Court conclusively ruled at the beginning of July that the botanical garden in the coastal town of Balchik stays under the control of Sofia University, bringing to an end years of wrangles over its ownership.

The ruling came a month after Bulgaria's government ignored the decision of a number of Bulgarian courts and grabbed hold of the garden.

Under the cabinet decision 183 decares of the Balchik botanical garden were to be managed by the State Cultural Institute, which practically accounts for the entire park area of the garden, while Sofia University will have ownership of just 11 decares, which is 84% less compared to its current 74 decares.

Tensions between the two institutions have been escalating over the years for more than a decade after the palace started to be used for commercial purposes.

The collection of revenues turned into the thorniest issue and at one point visitors were forced to pay two entry tickets - one for the palace and one for the botanical garden.

During the terms of the previous two governments – led by Socialist Sergey Stanishev and former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg - a huge villa project threatened to destroy the rare species in the garden, only to be checked by the efforts of the university botanists.

The botanical garden in Balchik spreads over 190 decares, out of which 74 are owned by the university and the remainder by the culture ministry. According to the university a plot is underway to transfer the whole area under the management of the culture ministry to the benefit of private investors.

Bathing in sunlight most of the year, the botanical garden is home to more than 2000 plant species belonging to 85 families and 200 genera. One of the garden's main attractions is the collection of large-sized cactus species arranged outdoors on 1000 square meters, the second of its kind in Europe after the one in Monaco.

Happy End for Bulgaria's Nessebar UNESCO Site Dolphinarium

The town council of Bulgaria's Black Sea resort Nessebar effectively saved in the middle of October its UNESCO-recognized Old Town from destruction over the construction of a dolphinarium.

The Nessebar Dolphinarium saga finally ended after the town councilors approved the settlement between the municipality and Festa Holding, a private company which planned to build a dolphinarium on the small Black Sea peninsula harboring the Old Town, an UNESCO World Heritage site.

In a special press statement, the press office of the Nessebar Municipality praised the role of Mayor Nikolay Dimitrov for managing to renounce the dolphinarium deal sealed by his predecessor, and pointed out that Dimitrov has kept his 2007 election campaign promise to rescue the Old Town from construction.

The scandalous deal for the construction of a dolphinarium would have destroyed much of its UNESCO-protected Old Town. Under it Festa Holding AD acquired about one-fifth of the area of the entire Black Sea peninsula on which the Old Town of Nessebar is located (a plot of 23 decares) in exchange for BGN 5 M. The deal was approved by the municipality in 2005 with the active role of former Mayor Nikolay Trifonov.

Bulgaria Denies Report of USD 1 B Super Borovets Development

In February 2010, two years and a half after Bulgaria's controversial mega-resort, dubbed Super Borovets, was given the go-ahead, representatives of the companies denied Reuters agency sensational report that it has been unfrozen.

Reuters agency reported that an Oman's government investment arm and a unit of Britain's Equest Investment Balkans Plc are building an EUR 800 M ski resort in Bulgaria.

The agency cited an Omani government official close to the project, who declined to be identified, according to whom the resort, which is just one hour from Sofia airport, is expected to be completed in 2012.

State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) owns 40 percent of the project and the other major investor is Equest. Equest Investment invests in property in the Balkan region.

SGRF, the Omani government investment arm run by the ministry of finance, bought a controlling stake in Equest in early 2009, Reuters agency said.

The news about the unfreezing of Super Borovets project triggered a wave of comments and suspicions, which proved to be quite right after the daily tried to verify the report.

"
I am one of the staunchest supporters of the project, but for the time being there are no construction works going on. I have no idea how this large-scale project can be completed in just two years, "
the mayor of the nearby town of Samokov, Anguel Nikolov, told Trud daily.

The mega-project, dubbed Super Borovets, in the Rila mountain, was given the final go-ahead with a ground-breaking ceremony on October 8 2007, amidst controversies and opposition from environmentalists.

The enormous complex is planned to encompass the towns of Samokov and Beli Iskar and will expand one of Bulgaria's most popular skiing place Borovets resort.

The project was launched in 2004 on the back of strong support by the centrist government of former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg and amid allegations of vested interests.

Top banker Emil Kyulev, who was murdered in broad daylight in October 2005, owned a 51% stake in the project. Kyulev's death shook up the line-up of the share-holders with investment fund Equest Investment Balkan acquiring a 67% stake in Borovest developer Rila-Samokov 2004 AD.

As of February 2010 there are three shareholders in the project – the Dutch Borovets Invest (67%), the municipality of Samokov (25%) and Glavbolgarstroy (8%). Oman's government investment arm owns a majority stake in the Dutch company.

Tourism Sector in Figures

More Tourists, Same Revenues for Bulgaria's Summer 2010

Budget has proved to be a four-letter-word for Bulgaria's tourism sector this year - while the number of foreign tourists marked a 5%-10% increase, revenues remained flat at best.

The curve of an increasing number of foreign tourists in Bulgaria did not slump with a spade of complaints as expected, but the bad news is that the country has been dragged down to the club of the cheapest tourist destinations in Europe, people from the sector said as the season is coming to an end.

Data shows that Russia and Germany remain the traditional primary market for visitors to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. The number of Russian tourists is expected to be up by 20%-30% this year in comparison with the previous year, tour operators say. The Russians are distributed evenly among the resorts in the Northern and Southern Black Sea coast.

In 2010 German visitors continued to be the largest single country represented within the figure of EU visitors, followed by the UK, but there is no increase in their number.

The Romanian and Polish markets are gaining in significance for the local tourism sector and Bulgarian tour operators say these could be the next big thing.

Meanwhile Israel's conflict with Turkey proved profitable for Bulgaria's tourism and the country attracted thousands of Israeli tourists, who initially planned to spend their holidays in its neighbor.

Not that rich foreign tourists like Bulgaria because it offers good value in terms of food prices and accommodation expenses and last but not least has available package tours. The all-inclusive deals that international tour operators offer to various Bulgarian resorts give them an ease of access. Most often they come to Bulgaria with their families and enjoy the traditional combination of hotel, beach and sea. Tourists who like classic packages with passable quality at good prices.

Tourism is one of, if not the most important industry for the perennially cash-strapped Bulgaria - it not only provides nearly 10% of the country's GDP, but is also a significant source of foreign currency and jobs.

Unfortunately experts have warned that quantity indices - like the number of foreign tourists visiting the Black Sea coast - can not be indicative for a small country like Bulgaria -its coastline is no longer than 380 kilometers, while beaches run for just 150 kilometers.

Balkan Neighbors Boost Bulgaria's Winter Tourism in 2010

Bulgaria's winter tourism is slowly recovering from the financial crisis, mainly due to the increased number of tourists from neighboring Balkan countries.

The increased number of tourists from Serbia, Greece, Romania and Albania will be the main reason for the Bulgarian tourist market's winter boost, according to Bulgarian hotel owners.

A strong interest has been declared in Bulgaria's neighboring countries with regard to the Bansko ski resort's scheduled winter sport events, the hotel owners have commented.

The newly opened Zlatograd border crossing with Greece is also expected to ease the transportation of more Greek tourists to Bulgaria's winter resorts.

Officials expects an at least 3% increase in Bulgaria's winter tourism revenue, with some operators even expecting a 10% increase.

Volcanic Ash Cost Bulgarian Tourism EUR 600,000

Bulgaria's tour operators have suffered losses worth EUR 600,000 due to travel disruptions caused by the high-altitude ash that billowed from an erupting Icelandic volcano in the summer.

"
Bulgarian tour operators and tourist agents have been incurred losses worth EUR 600,000 due to the suspended flights across Europe,"
representatives of their association said at a press conference on the last day of May, adding that the incident has hurt the spring and summer bookings as well.

At its peak, the crisis affected 1.2 million passengers a day and 29 percent of all global aviation, according to the International Air Transport Association.

It was the worst disruption of air traffic since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001. Following those attacks, the United States closed its air space for three days, forcing Europe to postpone all transatlantic flights.

The crisis began after the volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted Wednesday and sent a cloud of ash into the atmosphere. By the next day that cloud had reached Europe, where authorities quickly closed the airspace over safety fears.

Bulgaria's Dental Tourism Flourishes Thanks to Crisis

Dental tourism became an increasing trend for Bulgaria in 2010 with more and more foreigners combining a holiday to the Black Sea coast with a visit to the dentist.

Bulgaria, especially the bigger cities along its Black Sea coast, has started to cash in from a growing number of foreigners, the majority of whom Britons and Greeks, who cannot get treatment on the NHS or cannot afford to pay huge bills for going private, doctors say.

Dentists in the southwest Bulgarian cities of Sandanski and Petrich have reported a massive influx of Greek clients who prefer to come to Bulgaria for treatment because the quality of service is "
just as good but considerably cheaper"
.

According to local media reports Greek dental tourism is so popular that clinics in Petrich have already started writing their working hours in both Bulgarian and Greek. It is mainly working class Greeks who go there;
some of them also speak Bulgarian.

Bulgaria is a preferred destination due to the low-cost, high-quality dental care. Prices that local dentists charge are about seven times lower than those in Great Britain.

Data shows that 35,000 Britons a year travel overseas for dental work and nearly 60,000 searched online for information on dentists.

Britons can save up to 70% by travelling overseas for dental treatment - before accommodation and flights are taken into account.

New Hotels

1st Hilton on Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast Open in Golden Sands

The top-class global hotel brand Hilton is represented for the first on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast with the opening of the "
Doubletree by Hilton Varna"
hotel in the Golden Sands resort.

The opening of the Doubletree by Hilton Varna was made public in July at a news conference in the Golden Sands resort with the announcement of a franchising contract between Hilton Worldwide and Helios Hotels Jsc, a subsidiary of Tetrareal Jsc.

The famous Doubletree chocolate chip cookie, an icon of the hospitality of the brand, was introduced for the first time in Bulgaria during a special ceremony.

While top global luxury hotel brands are present in Sofia, the Doubletree by Hilton Varna will be the first facility of such class in Bulgaria outside of the capital.

"
The new Doubletree by Hilton Varna is the fully renovated luxury part of the former Helios Spa &
Resort Hotel. We have decided to perfect this part in order to re-brand it, so we have invested in a number of improvements such as new fire and safety installations, new TV systems, and the Suite Dreams mattresses - a trademark of the Doubletree brand, unique for Bulgaria, and found only in our hotel,"
announced Dr. George Velchev, Chair of the Board of Directors of Tetrareal Jsc.

"
Our company has made a considerable investment in Doubletree by Hilton Varna, especially given the fact that the hotel already had a five-star category. Our aim was to create a unique product for the Golden Sands and the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. We are glad that once again we will be pioneers in the Golden Sands resort with our world-class brand and services. Hilton has been selected many times as the most famous hotel brand in Europe and the world, and I am convinced this product will enjoy an immediate success here since, in my view, Bulgaria continues to offer the best quality at the best price among the European vacation destinations,"
Velchev explained.

While not allowed by the Hilton franchising contract to disclose the exact amount of the investment in the new Doubletree hotel, Velchev told Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) that the money invested to re-brand the hotel was about 35% of the original construction investment.

"
The 2010 opening of Doubletree by Hilton Varna reaffirms the stable development of the Doubletree brand in Europe. The European presence of the world hotel brand Doubletree by Hilton has seen considerable growth in the last few years,"
said Claudio Sturm, the General Manager of the new Doubletree by Hilton Varna hotel in the Golden Sands resorts.

Sturm has prior experience at management positions in leading hotel chains in Germany and Austria, and has also served as the Sales and Marketing Director of the Hilton Sofia.

Doubletree by Hilton Varna is located in a green area of the Golden Sands resort with a sea view. It features a fitness center equipped by the top American producer Precor. The hotel offers a direct access to the Aphrodite Beauty Spa &
Health Clinic, a unique facility for the Bulgarian Black Sea coast which is combination of a spa and medical center located on an area of 2 300 square meters.

Among its many other amenities in the Doubletree style, the hotel grants its guests free access to its own section of the beach of the Golden Sands resort.

Doubletree is one of the ten brands in the Hilton Family which also participates in the Hilton Honors program;
it encompasses facilities in 230 locations around the world.

The first Bulgarian Doubletree hotel hopes to benefit from the loyalty of Hilton clients, as well as from the upcoming opening of a number of new Doubletree hotels around Europe – 4 in Russia, 3 in Turkey, and one in each Greece, Romania, and Norway.

Easy Hotel Opens Doors in Bulgaria's Capital

The first Bulgarian hotel from the UK-based budget chain easyHotel opened doors in Sofia at the beginning of March.

The hotel in downtown Sofia has 57 rooms on 9 levels. The investment is estimated at BGN 900 000. Prices start at EUR 10 per night.

The "
easyHotel"
chain is the first international company for budget hotels in Bulgaria. The chain is part of the "
Easy Group"
holding, which already operates budget flights in the country.

The hotels offer low prices for basic services such as accommodations and room cleaning while customers pay additional fees if they wish to order internet services, TV programs and others. The reservations are made entirely online with earlier reservations having lower prices, modeled after the budget airlines' policies.

Rezidor Opens First Park Inn Hotel in Bulgaria, No 100 in Chain

The Rezidor Hotel Group officially launched on December 7 Park Inn Sofia, the very first Park Inn property in Bulgaria, which happened to be the hundredth in the chain.

Park Inn Sofia originally opened in 2005 under the name "
Greenville Hotel"
. The property is located 3.5 km south of Sofia's city centre and features 77 rooms and 36 apartments with a contemporary and stylish design according to Park Inn's modern brand identity. It also comprises a restaurant with an outdoor terrace, 2 bars and 2 meeting rooms, which makes it a preferred place for weddings and private parties. A wellness and sports centre includes an indoor swimming pool, fitness area and treatment rooms.

The hotel has access to the numerous business parks which surround the city and are home to many international firms. Sofia's two most important congress centres, the Inter Expo &
Congress Centre and National Palace of Culture, are also in proximity.

The managers hope to drive more business into Sofia through brand recognition. Park Inn is Rezidor's young, dynamic and colourful mid-market brand, which promises to give value for the money paid, doesn't have all the extra service aspects but aims at the pockets. In 2010, the brand's generic name was changed to "
Park Inn by Radisson"
.

The Rezidor Hotel Group features a portfolio of more than 400 hotels in operation and under development with 86,300 rooms in over 60 countries.

Rezidor operates the brands Radisson Blu Hotels &
Resorts, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns &
Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Local Colors

Russian-Made Matryoshka Dolls of Borisov Hit Stalls in Bulgaria

Matryoshka dolls of current Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov have appeared on sale in downtown Sofia in the first days of 2010.

The Borisov matryoshka dolls are made in Russia, and are sold in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the Bulgarian capital.

The interior of the Borisov matryoshka dolls contains progressively smaller figures of former Bulgarian Pirme Ministers – Sergey Stanishev and Simeon Saxe-Coburg, and even going as far back as the state communist leaders Todor Zhivkov and Georgi Dimitrov.

The Borisov matryoshkas cost BGN 40. According to the people selling them, however, the most popular matryoshka dolls in Sofia are those of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi because of the large number of Italian tourists coming to the Bulgarian capital.

Alcohol Tourism Dominates Bulgaria's Southern Black Sea Coast

An increasing number of foreigners and Bulgarians alike engaged in what has been described as "
alcohol tourism"
in the numerous resorts along the country's Southern Black Sea coast.

Scores of restaurants, discos, and hotels in the southern resorts, including Bulgaria's largest resort Sunny Beach, offered cheap alcohol and cocktails which are attractive to both foreign and Bulgarian tourists.

In terms of the quantities of alcohol that they consume, the Bulgarian tourists are rivaling the "
toughest"
drinkers who are said to be tourists from the UK, Finland, and Sweden.

The alcohol poising treatment usually takes 3-5 days and costs the Burgas hospital about BGN 200 per day per patient.