Golf in Bansko, Bulgaria

New Golf Project in Bulgaria

A new golf project is to be commenced near Bansko, Bulgaria in 2008 which will lead to further investment in the region.

This is great news for golf enthusiasts given the previous projects and is a real boost to the prospects of making Bansko a serious contender as a golfing paradise.

Here’s the full article:

“Blakanstroy” starts a third golf complex in Pirin Region
Stroitelstvo Gradat Weekly, Mihayl Garkov, 29th January - 4th February 2007 

The building of the third golf complex of “BalkanStroy” AD in the region of Bansko will start in the beginning of 2008 and will last for a period of three years, said Nikolay Kaloyanov, an Executive Director of the building company at the receiving the Certificate of a First Grade Investor for the Project. There is an ongoing procedure at the moment for approving the General Structure Plan and we expect to complete the process of documentation preparation, added Kaloyanov.

The complex will include a golf ground, a hotel with a SPA centre, a horse base, a sport centre, trade and serving complexes and bungalows.

“Pirin Golf and Country Club” will be situated just next to the other two projects of “BalkanStroy” AD within the region, namely “Kulinoto” Ski and Golf Complex in the region of the same name situated near Razlog, for which the company received its first Certificate of a First Grade Investor, and “Pirin Golf Holidays Club” Golf Complex under construction. The terrain of the golf ground includes a small part of the forest fund, which is destroyed as a result of poachers’ attacks and will be cleared. There is also a plan for planting certain terrains near the complex, said the Executive Director of “BalkanStroy”.

“The presence of more complexes leads to a risk diversification and to an increase in the profit security”, added Kaloyanov on the occasion of the other investment of his company in a mountain golf resort. Except for the three projects in the region of Pirin, the company also builds “Lighthouse Golf Resort” Golf Complex near Balchik.

There should be a serious emphasize on the development of mountain tourism, said Stoyan Stalev, an Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency – who gave the certificate. The opening of an airport in the region of Blagoevgrad is a must in the coming future, said Stalev. “It is not possible that English tourists fly to Sofia for two hours and then travel for 3-4 hours more to Bansko”, added Stalev.

After January 1, 2007 the nearest airport to the resort complexes in the region is Solun, which can deflect some part of the stream of tourists. At the moments negotiations are being conducted for emptying the airport in Gotse Delchev of the military, which is to be completed until the end of the year, said Vladimir Dimitrov, a Governor of Blagoevgrad.

The prospect of also building a new airport closer to Bansko is also a welcome development. There has been much talk of this in the recent past but time will only tell whether action will be actually taken on this or not.

Words are useless without some followup action.

Golf and Spa Potential in Bulgaria

With progress at Bansko’s Pirin Golf and Country club forging ahead, early 2007 reports show that there is great potential for developing all year round activities in Bansko, including Golf and Spa treatments.

Here’s a recent article in the Sofia Echo with more info:

Spa and Golf Tourism in Bulgaria Have Development Potential
Sofia Echo, 16th January 2007 
The number of tourist visits to Bulgaria in 2006 is nearly seven per cent higher than the number of visits for 2005, deputy head of the State Agency for Tourism (SAT) Stanislav Novakov said.

Bulgaria had the potential to develop year-round tourism opportunities, Novakov said as quoted by Novinar newspaper.

The country had already established its summer and winter resorts, Novakov told participants of the Bulgaria- Dream Area forum. Among the other types of tourism the country could develop were golf, spa, cultural and eco-tourism said he.

Tourists were becoming increasingly interested in planning and carrying out a vacation on their own, rather than depending on fixed opportunities, said Novakov.

Tourism featured among the priority sectors of Bulgaria’s economy, Novinar reported. It formed nearly 14 per cent of the GDP, tourism sector representatives said.

Revenue from foreign tourist visits in 2006 exceeded two billion euro. Nearly 170 000 people were constantly employed in the tourism sector, Novinar reported.