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A new golf and resort complex for EUR 500 M called "Wild Rose" will be constructed close to the town of Straldzha in southeast Bugaria.
The huge resort complex will be able to accommodate about 20 000 visitors. According to the investor Solas Nua Ltd from the UK, Wild Rose would be the largest entertainment resort in Bulgaria.
The complex will include two golf courses with 18 holes each, two other smaller golf courses, a sports center with a track, tennis courts, soccer fields, swimming pools, and beaches.
The UK investors also plan to build an aqua-park, a dry ski track, and carting facilities. The guests will be accommodated at a five-star hotel with 120 rooms, 80 apartments, a spa center, conference halls, and an amphitheater.
About 6000 houses and villas will also be built in the Wild Rose. The construction of the resort located on a plot of 4600 decares will last for ten years, and will employ about 2000 construction workers.
Solas Nua Ltd intends to start building the complex in the spring of 2009. According to estimates, when completed, the resort will bring EUR 75 M worth of taxes to the state budget, plus BGN 11 M in local taxes.
The exact location of the complex will be in the village of Aleksandrovo, Straldzha Municipality, Yambol District.

7-8% increase of the foreign tourists is expected during the season 2008 in Bulgaria. That was announced yesterday by Anelia Krushkova, president of the State Tourist Agency, during the official opening of the summer season in St. Constantine and Elena Sea Resort. The beginning of this year’s summer season in the resort was given by the first organized Czech tourist group arrival.
5 million foreign tourists have visited Bulgaria during 2007, announced Anelia Krushkova. Only during the first three months of 2008 the increase of the tourists, visited Bulgaria is 20%, added the president of the State Tourist Agency. The tourism incomes, realized during the first three months of 2008 amount to 291.4 million euro, which is near 15% more than the same period in 2007.
Increase of the German tourists, who will visit Bulgaria, is expected this year. Bulgaria has signed agreements for tourist visits with Czech Republic and Iran two day ago, explained Anelia Kruchkova. The same agreement is facing to be signed between Bulgaria and Korea as well.
According to the president of the State Tourist Agency, the best way for popularization Bulgaria as a good tourist destination is not the TV, but the verbal advertisements, which the contented from their staying in Bulgaria tourists make.

VICKY ANDERSON checks out the growing popularity of Bulgaria at the enormous Golden Sands resort
EVERY year, Bulgaria is becoming a more and more popular destination for curious Brits.
Affordable, welcoming and varied in the scale of activities on offer for beach bums, skiers and all types in between, it is attracting holiday-makers and investors by the plane-load.
There is a booming market for holiday flats and apartments and — in the area we visited — a burgeoning golf scene.
The resort of Golden Sands was our home for the duration of the trip, although our activities were based around the north east city of Varna . . . the third largest in the country.
Golden Sands is a gigantic beachside resort complex comprising dozens of hotels of varying budget and style.
We settled in at the four-star Kempinski Grand Hermitage Hotel . . . a large, luxurious base and certainly one of the most attractive on the strip.
With the beach right on the doorstep, it is a perfect location for a sunny summer break and is filled with holiday-makers from all over Europe.
Golden Sands and Varna — about half an hour’s drive away — are located on what is known as the Black Coast.
On our second day, we took a boat trip to fully explore the changing coastline, with several clusters of established resorts and apartment complexes and golf courses springing up everywhere.
But Golden Sands is so big, with so many nooks and crannies, that it’s impossible to get very far or get your bearings while on foot.
One night, we were driven to a hideously garish casino in the complex for dinner, only to be taken through to a hidden culinary gem in a designer restaurant fully decorated in Philippe Starck designs.
The Silver Gourmet offered gorgeous food and fine wine in the most stylish surroundings, and at prices so ludicrously cheap I actually felt guilty.
It was the same after a successful night’s wine tasting in Varna proper.
Expecting to get stung after finding out that tasty red we’d been glugging was some kind of rare vintage, we ended up spending less than the cost of your average bottle of Blossom Hill on some gorgeous local vino.
Wherever you go along the coast, fresh fish is available in abundance, in more shapes, sizes and species than a cod- reared Brit could dream of.
Having been starved of beach holidays throughout my adulthood, a return to them was timely and enjoyable.
From this base, it was worth a drive out to the Kaliakra nature reserve.
An historic site littered with medieval ruins and steeped in legend, the views from the cape and across the ocean are worth the trip alone.
Like any proper tourist trap, there’s the promise of dolphin sightings, but I was out of luck on my visit.
On our way back, we passed through the high-comedy town of Kavarna where, in between the Communist-era apartment blocks and locals travelling by pony and trap, giant murals of legends of rock such as David Coverdale, Jimmy Page and Billy Idol, adorn the buildings.
It transpires that the popular mayor is a devoted metal-head and, as a result, some of the biggest names in the genre love to play there.
A trip to Varna itself revealed an intriguing city that is a mix of ancient and modern. Grand museums and the beautiful Bulgarian Orthodox Theotokos Cathedral are interspersed with international chain stores and offices flogging apartments to foreigners.
I’d never ventured into Eastern Europe before, so this may not be such an unusual observation, but often our party’s eyes would be drawn to stalls full of historic tat alongside the usual postcards and keyring malarkey, only to find an array of authentic Nazi memorabilia for sale. Pretty odd in itself . . . but especially so when one of the stalls is selling the stuff outside a cathedral!
We wondered why anyone would want to try and smuggle an SS death’s head ring through customs and politely moved on, but these curious stalls were to be found everywhere. Despite that, Varna does have real a charm. It’s a modest size and has an array of cultural must-sees.
While we wandered, I caught sight of a poster promoting the city’s bid for Capital of Culture status in 2019 and smiled to myself . . . I hope they have Lady Luck on their side.
5 things to do
1. THE Sea Garden at Varna is a favourite, with its amphitheatre, observatory, planetarium, zoo, playgrounds, and water features.
2. VISIT the medieval Aladzha rock monastery, a few kilometres south of Golden Sands. It has brightly coloured wall paintings and is dug out of the rock on two levels.
3. THE summer palace and beautiful Botanic Garden of Balchik is about 31km away and worth a visit.
4. FOR a change of beach, go to neighbouring Kranevo, a smaller, less developed resort.
5. AT St Konstantin and Elena, you can visit the Evksinograd government residence.

Bulgaria was becoming increasingly popular destination “for curious Brits”, the Sunday Sun newspaper, which covers the north-east of England, reported.
“Affordable, welcoming and varied in the scale of activities on offer for beach bums, skiers and all types in between, it [Bulgaria] is attracting holiday-makers and investors by the plane-load,” the newspaper said.Bulgaria had a ‘blooming’ real estate market for holiday property and was a ‘burgeoning golf scene’. While describing her experience at Golden Sands coastal resorts, author Vicky Anderson notes that the prices were “so ludicrously cheap” that she “actually felt guilty”.
“Wherever you go along the coast, fresh fish is available in abundance, in more shapes, sizes and species than a cod- reared Brit could dream of,” the article read.
Some of the biggest names in metal loved to play in the town of Kavarna, the Sunday Sun said, as the town mayor was a “devoted metal-head”.
Bulgaria’s second biggest city, Varna, was an “intriguing (…) mix of ancient and modern. Often our party’s eyes would be drawn to stalls full of historic tat alongside the usual postcards and keyring malarkey, only to find an array of authentic Nazi memorabilia for sale. Pretty odd in itself (...) but especially so when one of the stalls is selling the stuff outside a cathedral! We wondered why anyone would want to try and smuggle an SS death’s head ring through customs and politely moved on, but these curious stalls were to be found everywhere,” the article read.
The five things to do at the Bulgarian coastline were to visit the Sea Garden at Varna; the medieval Aladzha rock monastery, a few kilometres south of Golden Sands; the summer palace and beautiful Botanic Garden of Balchik; to go to neighbouring Kranevo and to the Evksinograd government residence at SS Konstantin and Elena resort

Bulgaria continues to be among the most preferred countries for the purchase of real estate among UK residents, surveys show.
Bulgaria ranks third in terms of popularity among UK property investors, the results of a survey, anlong with Spain and France.
Bulgaria becomes an increasingly popular destination among buyers in some parts of Great Britain, such as Wales, where it is preferred to established markets such as France, Moneycor's survey shows.
The country has impressive scenery of mountain ranges and breathtaking views with many lakes, waterfalls and caves, which remain unspoilt, despite the rise in tourism. It has a rich, diverse history and large numbers of architectural treasures. A unique element about Bulgaria’s geography and climate is that it can accommodate an all year round tourist season with both the Black Sea coast and the numerous ski resorts located in the southerly mountain ranges.

7-8% increase of the foreign tourists is expected during the season 2008 in Bulgaria. That was announced yesterday by Anelia Krushkova, president of the State Tourist Agency, during the official opening of the summer season in St. Constantine and Elena Sea Resort. The beginning of this year’s summer season in the resort was given by the first organized Czech tourist group arrival.
5 million foreign tourists have visited Bulgaria during 2007, announced Anelia Krushkova. Only during the first three months of 2008 the increase of the tourists, visited Bulgaria is 20%, added the president of the State Tourist Agency. The tourism incomes, realized during the first three months of 2008 amount to 291.4 million euro, which is near 15% more than the same period in 2007.
Increase of the German tourists, who will visit Bulgaria, is expected this year. Bulgaria has signed agreements for tourist visits with Czech Republic and Iran two day ago, explained Anelia Kruchkova. The same agreement is facing to be signed between Bulgaria and Korea as well.
According to the president of the State Tourist Agency, the best way for popularization Bulgaria as a good tourist destination is not the TV, but the verbal advertisements, which the contented from their staying in Bulgaria tourists make.

The Irish national Aerlingus carrier launched new direct flights Dublin-Bourgas from the 11th June 2008.
The Bulgaria’s Bourgas airport is the first destination in Eastern Europe, which the Irish air currier includes in its schedule.
The direct flights Dublin – Burgas – Dublin will be launched twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday.
The Irish airplanes will arrive in the Burgas airport in 21:00 h. and will depart from Burgas in 22:00 h.
Only charter flights have operated this destination until now.

Wizz Air announced it expands its base in Sofia by deploying an additional new Airbus A320 type aircraft starting from 12 July 2008. The airline will start operating new flights from Sofia to domestic Varna, Milan-Bergamo, Valencia, Barcelona and Izmir (Turkey), and will increase frequencies on existing services to London, Rome and Dortmund.
By launching roundtrip flights from Varna to Sofia, the company will be the first low cost airline servicing domestic flights in Bulgaria. At the same time, the new destination from Sofia to Izmir will be the first low cost route from Bulgaria outside the boundaries of the European Union.
The tickets for Sofia – Varna flights are already for sale and the total price for one-way ticket is 9.99 euro (19.99 leva). For all other new destination of Wizz Air a one-way ticket costs 24.99 euro. The wave of expansion of the company will triple the capacity of Wizz Air in Sofia and additionally it will strengthen its leading position as a low cost air line on the market in Bulgaria.
The low price of the tickets in combination with the comfort on board of the planes continue to attract more and more passengers and this allows the company to launches new destinations and flights from Sofia.

First-time buyers in Britain are increasingly looking to snap up affordable houses overseas, it has been revealed.

According to the Sunday Mirror, those who feel they cannot afford to buy a property in the UK are using foreign investments to generate money for a deposit.

Emerging destinations with relatively low house prices were said to be very popular among this group, particularly if they offer a strong rental market as well.

Many were also said be drawn towards fast-growing property markets, as investors who could potentially sell their house on at far more than the initial asking price.

Commenting on the trend, the Sunday Mirror said recent house price falls in the UK have not significantly improved affordability for first-time buyers.

The newspaper remarked: "Properties here are still too expensive - first-timers are buying overseas for a fraction of what they would pay in Britain."

According to the BuyAssociation website, eastern European countries such as Bulgaria are especially popular among this group.

However, the portal said that investors who sell a property on at a profit need to check if their chosen location has a strong resale market.

British holidaymakers have been advised to consider travelling to Bulgaria by a national newspaper.

According to the Times, the eastern European country offers a number of attractions which would appeal to the whole family.

In addition, Bulgaria was said to be much more affordable than places such as Italy, Portugal, France and Spain.

This is because the pound has slumped to a record low against the single European currency - falling by nearly a fifth in the last year.

As a result, travelling to a country inside the eurozone may not offer the value for money Britons have enjoyed in the past.

The Times commented: "It's been a bad year for the pound.

"Last summer, a €20 meal would have set you back £14. Now it would be £16.50."

By contrast, Bulgaria was said to offer bargain prices and comparable leisure facilities.

This comes after the Association of British Travel Agents revealed that emerging economies and mid to long-haul destinations are becoming more and more popular with tourists from the UK.