“Blakanstroy” starts a third golf complex in Pirin Region

Stroitelstvo Gradat Weekly, Mihayl Garkov, 29th Jan - 4th Feb 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.