Bulgaria to Top World Spa Charts Soon

Sofia News Agency, 18 June 2010

The Bulgarian town of Sandanski has been declared “Best Spa Destination in Bulgaria” at the first national ”Spa Nominations” awards.

The ceremony took place in the Bulgarian town of Pravetz on Wednesday.

“If we fix the infrastructure, in three years Bulgaria can become the best spa destination in the world because we have a very good base. We rank third in the world in the number of mineral springs,” Zlatko Zlatanov, head of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said at the ceremony.

Zlatanov has been given the prize for “Person with the greatest contribution to the spa”. He has been the reason for the Bulgarian town of Velingrad to be declared Spa Capital in Bulgaria and on the Balkans in different competitions.

Velingrad has also been nominated for “Best Spa Destination” at the first “Spa Nominations”. However, the municipality refused to participate in the competition in order to stimulate the rest of the towns with mineral springs.

The award for “Best Spa Hotel” went to the five-star “Persenk” in the Bulgarian town of Devin. The jury decided the best rehabilitation spa-complex was the four-star “Hissar” in the town of Hissar.

The goal of “Spa Nominations” is to promote the spa and wellness tourism in the Bulgaria. According to the World Tourism Organization, one spa-tourist spends three times more money than a seaside-tourist.