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The airports in Bulgaria's Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas processed more than 3,4 million passengers last year.

The Burgas airport processed 1,95 million passengers, a 7,3 % increase compared to 2006, while Varna's 1,5 million passengers meant a 2,6% drop over last year.

Bulgarian international airports accounted for 4,4% of its total 75,6 million passengers processed by the company last year, with the Frankfurt international airport alone serving 54,1 million.

Fraport and Bulgarian firm BM Star won the 35 years concession in 2006, pledging to invest EUR 403 M in new terminals, expansion and equipment over that period.

Vacation housing estate of the Bulgarian national revival style will appear in the Veliko Turnovo area`s village Hotnica, announce money.bg.
Mini-resort will be built in the village center and will consist of 12 Traditional Bulgarian houses, which will be sold or rented.
Construction actions are planned to be started through fall `08 with investments of 2 million BGN (1 million EUR) and are expected to end up on amount of 10 million BGN (5 million EUR).
Valuable tree species in the area will be saved through the building works, ensured the investor.

Property market was the absolute economic leader for Bulgaria's economy in 2007 with a record-breaking turnover of 11.36 billion euro, Yavlena real estate agency data showed.
The sum was the total value of deals with land and buildings in the country over the period.
Number of property deals in 2007 was expected to reach 292 000, Ivanov said.
The property market stimulated construction development, Pari said. The sector ranks among the fastest developing in Bulgaria in 2007 with a growth of 15 per cent on annual basis.
According to the Bulgarian Construction Chamber, the sector turnover would reach 11 billion leva.
Bulgarian Entrepreneural Chamber in Building president Nikolin Gavrailov said that the lack of modern apartments, retail and administrative buildings caused the construction boom. The investment growth in tourism, production and the need for a modern infrastructure also stimulated construction, he said.
Construction sector growth was expected to be between 12 and 16 per cent annually until 2010, he said.

Four billion euro in foreign investments entered Bulgaria in 2006, equal to 16 per cent of the GDP of the country, Austria's Die Presse said.
One third of these investments were in the real estate market.
As a result, prices increased, though real estate was not expected to bring any significant profit over the next five years. Profits from sales of office properties were expected to be seven per cent, from retail property eight percent and from storage property nine per cent.
Real estate in Bulgaria was more expensive than in Romania, Die Presse said.
No trend of increase of property prices was to be expected either. The crisis in the US mortgages market made investors more cautious.
Still, there was no reason to believe the Bulgarian market would ‘overheat’ and demand remained relatively high, Die Presse said as quoted by Focus news agency.

The Bulgarian property boom shows no signs of slowing; but Bulgaria's expected adoption of the Euro in 2011 means investors need to move quickly to snap up the best deals. Bulgaria's recent ascension in to the European Union has vastly increased its attractiveness to British holidaymakers as well as investment property buyers, and real estate experts predict an even greater demand for property when Bulgaria adopts the Euro in 2010.
Bulgaria's recent ascension in to the European Union has vastly increased its attractiveness to British holidaymakers as well as investment property buyers, and real estate experts predict an even greater demand for property when Bulgaria adopts the Euro in 2010.
Investors are particularly interested in Bulgaria as it is believed the European Union money will be spent on improving the country's infrastructure. Bulgaria has also seen a great deal of political reform since its former communist dates, and the government has shown solid commitment to economic improvements, with GDP growth the highest in Eastern Europe.
The growth in economy has also caused vast escalation in the land values, which have risen from just 20 euros/ square meter, to around 350 Euros in some places. The promise of high profits has lured many from Britain, Ireland and Russia to buy ski and beach chalets, which can be purchased for a fraction of the price of similar properties in more traditional holiday haunts such as France, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.
The high price of UK properties and the recent rises in interest rates have also led UK investors to search further a-field for better deals on real estate, and again property investments in Bulgaria have come up trumps. The country continues to excite investors as it is an emerging market that currently offers property at prices that are not obtainable in other parts of the world. It's possible to pick up property for as little as 30,000 Euros, a sum which would buy little more than a garage in the UK.
The fact that prices are steadily rising and are predicted to continue to do so means that investments in Bulgaria provide excellent return on investments, especially if money is spent purchasing property in areas that are predicted to rise in popularity over the next decade or so.
Tourism in Bulgaria is steadily on the rise, with numbers increasing by 50% between 2000 and 2004 - which is the fastest growing tourist trade in Europe. This popularity helps to ensure good rental potential, especially for property located around popular Black Sea resorts and ski resorts such as Bansko and these areas provide a strong buy-to-let environment for investors.
The fact that Bulgaria is well connected to the UK via low cost airlines has also aided its desirability as both a holiday destination and investment area; flights leave from London Stansted and land in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, taking around 2.5 hours, and there are rumours of more routes opening in the not too distant future.
With so much on offer for both tourists and investors, it's little wonder that Bulgaria is the gem of the Balkans.

Property prices in Bulgaria rose faster than anywhere else in the world in 2007, according to a survey by a leading British estate agency.

The European Union's newest member topped the latest Knight Frank Global Price Index with an annualised property price growth of 30.6 %. Bulgaria ranked three percentage points above the south-east Asian economic powerhouse of Singapore.

"Despite numerous concerns over the level of oversupply in a number of locations within Bulgaria - notably the winter ski resort of Bansko and selected coastal resort locations - Bulgaria has supplanted the previously top performing Baltic hotspot at the top of the Knight Frank league," the report declared.

Last year, the highest ranking country was Latvia, which saw property price growth of 56.9%. However, this dropped in 2007 to 10.9%, on concerns about overpricing in the Latvian capital, Riga.

Overseas property buyers from Russia are increasingly choosing to purchase houses in Bulgaria, it has been reported.

The Kommersant newspaper stated that the eastern European country was proving to be a highly popular option for Russian investors because of the potential for high returns.

Bulgaria was also said to offer other benefits such as a growing property market, which means that a house is regularly appreciating in value.

This was described as a more lucrative alternative to Russia, as homeowners were under pressure from problems including high interest rates.

Many investors were said to opting to buy rental accommodation in Bulgaria's tourist hotspots, since it was currently a very popular holiday destination.

Kommersant said: "Renting out makes it easier to pay off the credits."

Earlier this year, Bulgaria was admitted as a full member of the European Union.

The country will mark the first anniversary of its accession on January 1st 2008.

Twenty years ago, few Brits would have been able to find Bulgaria on a map, let alone tell you anything about the country. Today, hundreds of Brits own property there and thousands more visit this Balkan gem every year.
Bulgaria has undergone an investment revolution over the last decade, meaning that property buyers looking for a good return and a holiday home are very keen to purchase in this former Communist state.
But what makes Bulgaria so attractive to investors; after all, isn't it possible to find similarly priced property in other Balkan countries such as Romania, Croatia and Serbia? Well, Bulgaria has led the way by building a number of high quality residential complexes that are available at low prices, in areas that are very attractive to tourists.
Bulgaria has become more and more established as a tourist destination for the Brits; both in the summer, for the black sea resort coastal regions which have a Mediterranean like temperature and beaches and internationally renowned golf courses; and also as a winter destination to the mountain regions of the Pirin, Rila and Rhodopa which offer skiing from 2000-2500m and have a ski season that lasts from December to May.
Bansko, now Bulgaria's premier ski resort has been well received by British ski tourists who are looking for a great value ski trip which is vastly cheaper than going to France, Austria or Switzerland, and also a more culturally exotic destination.
The fact that Bankso is now a well marketed and well known ski resort which is frequently featured in the ski press and national papers means that more and more skiers and snowboarders are heading out there. Bulgaria also has an enviable stretch of coastline along the Black Sea which attracts both holidaymakers and those looking to buy property in Bulgaria alike.
Cheap flights have also assisted Bulgaria's rise in popularity, creating a quick, easy and affordable route for Brits. Demand for real estate is also coming from the increasing number of international buyers who are working for multinationals in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. This demand is helping to push up the design and build quality of new developments in the city.
As a well-marketed holiday destination with increasing tourist numbers for both winter and summer seasons, newly built infrastructure and cheap, quick connections to the UK, it's no wonder that Bulgaria leads the Balkans by offering one of the best property investments in Europe.

On November 27 the Operational Programmes Transport and Environment were signed at an official ceremony in Brussels, Focus News Agency said.
Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hübner signed the documents on behalf of the European Commission (EC), for Bulgaria they were signed by Transport and Communications Minister Petar Moutafchiev and Environment and Water Affairs Minister Djevdet Chakurov.
After signing the two programmes, Hübner announced that they represented more than 40 per cent of the budget of all 7 European operational programmes for Bulgaria. According to Hübner the realisation of the programmes would lead to overcoming a number of barriers currently hindering Bulgaria's economic growth. Hübner expressed her satisfaction with the fact that Bulgaria was investing in a sustainable development of the transport system, which was extremely important for the overall economic growth of the country, Focus News Agency reported.
As far as the environment was concerned, Hübner said that Bulgaria was an extremely beautiful country and investments in the environment would be of key importance. According to her, this was important both for the development of tourism and for the fact that investments in the environment would be lasting investments in the quality of life of people.
Danuta Hübner thanked Bulgarian Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski for the good work he and his team had done and expressed her regret that he could not attend the ceremony.

The experts from the institution provisionally divide the evolution of the investigated market in Bulgaria in the recent 18 years after the fall of the state socialism into three periods.
The "First Wave of land property relations" spreads in the time between 1989 and 2001. During this period the land restitution processes takes place. There is no real land market and the land price varies between EUR 40-75 for 1000 m. sq.
The second period is defined as transitional and takes place between 2001 and 2005. During it there are too many willing to sell land, whale the willing to buy are just a few. The price of the land though goes up - it reaches levels between EUR 50 and 80 for 1000 m. sq. The first specialized investment vehicle for agricultural land comes to existence.
The "Second Wave of land property relations" is represented by the recent two years. A real land market is created. The presence of a sharp competition between institutional buyers of land drives the average price of the asset in Bulgaria up to the level of 75-150 EUR for 1000 m. sq.
The prices though very much vary, depending on different conditions, announced Money.bg. In the most fertile areas of Northeastern Bulgaria (Dobrudja)the cost of a purely agricultural land varies between EUR 200 and 375 for 1000 m. sq. If the land's purpose is changeable the price goes further up. In the most fertile regions by the seaside (where the land could be used also for development of tourism connected activities) the price reaches the levels of EUR 400 for 1000 m. sq.