The snowfalls in the end of January were welcomed with joy by skiers and snowboarders in the Rhodope resort of Pamporovo. After conditions on the slopes improved dramatically thanks to the fresh snow, the resort expects even more tourists. The Snezhanka Peak (1926) dominates the scenery while the TV tower on top of it is seen from every corner in Pamporovo. This is also the point from where most of the ski runs start.

The total length of ski runs in Pamporovo is 37 km and 90 percent of them are equipped with snow-making machines in order to make sure that skiers will have good time on the slopes. In the middle of the ski season real time information about the working lifts is displayed in stations in order for long queues to be avoided. The daily ski passes costs 55 levs or little less than 30 euro. According to Tanya Marinova, marketing director at Pamporovo, early bookings have increased 30 percent this season.

“In the past years most of the tourists were British but now most of the guests come from neighboring countries", Tanya Marinova explains. "The number of Russian tourists in Pamporovo has also increased. There are also skiers from Turkey. By the middle of February when students in the southern country have vacation, some 5000 Turkish will be welcomed in Pamporovo.”

The calendar of sport events in Pamporovo is also rich. At the beginning of next month at the foot of Snezhanka Peak an international alpine skiing competition for children for the PIBA Cup will be held. Guests of the resort will be able to attend a spectacular snow bike race - Winter Bike Duel 2014. In March a national snowboard half-pipe championship will take place, too. These events are expected to attract thousands of spectators who will be staying in local hotels. In an effort to attract more guests hotel owners show flexibility and creativity.

"There are 50 hotels in the resort", Tanya Marinova goes on to say. "Each one of them offers a variety of accommodation options. All-inclusive packages including lift pass are also offered. There are countless opportunities for entertainment besides skiing and there are options for excursions to nearby places." 
 
 
Guests of the resort often visit the nearby village of Shiroka Luka to enjoy the atmosphere of the traditional old Rhodope houses. The village hosts an annual Mummer’s Festival. This year the festival will be held on March 2 and is expected to attract over 5000 visitors from Bulgaria and abroad. Until then those working in the tourism industry hope for snow conditions to remain perfect.

English version: Alexander Markov

This article is issued with the support of the project of regional Administration Smolyan, under the Programme for European territorial cooperation "Greece - Bulgaria 2007-2013"