Bulgaria's golden sands and hot weather are continuing to attract both foreign and domestic tourists to Black Sea resorts.

Zlatni Pyasutsi AD, the company that operates the seaside resort of Zlatni Pyasutsi (Golden Sands), said in the past week it expected to register between five and 10 per cent growth in the number of lodgings by the end of the active season.

An analysis by the company has shown that so far about 200 000 lodgings have been sold since the beginning of 2006. If the trend is preserved, the year will finish with 300 000 lodgings sold.

The increase in the number of tourists is mainly fuelled by markets like Scandinavia and Russia, as well as other countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States. This growth will offset the minor drop in the number of holiday makers from Germany and the UK.

This summer five times more Romanian tourists have stayed in Zlatni Pyasutsi AD hotels than in previous years. The company has also remained quite attractive for Bulgarians who wish to spend their holiday at the seaside.

Zlatni Pyasutsi AD has 2200 beds in the hotels Admiral, Sirena, Zlatna Kotva, Morsko Oko Beach, Morsko Oko Garden and Metropol. This constitutes 15 per cent of all beds in Zlatni Pyasutsi.

According to Zlatni Pyasutsi AD, the investments the company makes every year are an important prerequisite for their success in the summer season. This year, the company has so far invested two million leva in infrastructure. Back in May, they covered with asphalt more than 15 000sq m of alleys and filled more than 4000 road holes.
The coastal alley and some other parts of the resort had their lights replaced, as well as their curb stones and rain sewage renovated.

More than 320 000 leva have been invested in laying out parks and gardens. For the first time in Zlatni Pyasutsi some rare tree types have been planted, including magnolia, cypress, Japanese cherry and Indian lilac. 

In another development on August 17, the tourism company Albena AD (operating the seaside resort of the same name) and the Defence Ministry signed a five-year contract for joint use of the military airfield in Balchik, on the Black Sea.

Albena will manage two runways and the decommissioned building of the military outfit that was stationed at the airport and will cover repair, upgrade and maintenance costs.

As of August 4, Albena was granted a permit by the Civil Aviation Administration to conduct domestic non-commercial flights to and from the Balchik airport.

The tourist company has invested two million leva in two airports for small jets in Primorsko, on the Black Sea, and near Elin Pelin, close to Sofia. The company also plans to build a runway near the Albena resort.

The Albena airport in Primorsko will host a meeting of members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association towards the end of the summer in a bid to raise Bulgaria's profile among owners of small jets.