“The percentage of foreign tourists in Pamporovo this winter has been negligible but the Bulgarian tourists saved the season,” commented Mariyan Belyakov, director of the resort for Radio Sofia.

“We had no expectations. We saw that Bulgarian tourists had the potential to compensate to some degree for what we missed from foreign markets,” Mariyan Belyakov as Pamporovo is set to close its ski runs on 11 April.

The expectations for the summer season were very optimistic but the third wave of Covid-19 is raising concerns. The hope now is that the EU vaccination passports will improve planning in the tourist industry, Pamporovo’s director said.