90-95% of the beds in the hotels in Bansko are already booked for New Year’s, said hoteliers in the resort.
They mentioned that they are expecting a lot more tourists compared to last winter season, and are hoping for an increase of 5-10%. For the end of year holidays other than Bulgarians, Bansko also expects tourists from Great Britain, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Israel, and Turkey.
According to Petar Yakov, the owner of a four-star hotel in the town under mount Todorka, for Christmas there is room availability of around 30-40%, but for New Year’s eve it’s already a challenge to book a room. He underlined that the prices for the holiday season are the same as last year. He also said that with every year that passes by tourists become more and more demanding, so the hoteliers are ready and willing to satisfy all their requirements. The hotel owner said that they still face the problem of lack of highly qualified staff. According to him there must be more specialized schools for the hotel industry.
Package deals are available for 3, 4, 5 or more nights including breakfast, New Year’s eve dinner, and using some of the hotel’s extras free of charge. Some even offer free bus shuttles to the ski lift. Prices vary between 300 and 1200 leva depending on the number of nights and the category of the hotel.
Those who have decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the taverns in town will pay between 100 and 150 leva for a dinner package. The holiday menus include mostly traditional dishes such as kapama, chomlek, and home-made banitsa with fortunes.
For the Christmas and New Year celebrations the hoteliers and restaurant owners promise highly varied menus. Almost all hoteliers have prepared a surprise show program for their guests. /Darik
