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Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Sun, Nov 29 2009 09:12 CET 3643 Views 14 Comments
Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Slunchev Bryag 1969

Photo: BTA

Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Slunchev Bryag 1971

Photo: BTA

Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Slunchev Bryag 2008
Photo: Anelia Nikolova

Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Slunchev Bryag 2008

Photo: Anelia Nikolova

Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Slunchev Bryag 2008
Photo: Anelia Nikolova

Row over documentary criticising construction along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Photo: Maria Sabotinova

Even before the documentary Concrete Gardens was broadcast, tourist organisations said that it was "tendentious" and "a blow to the reputation of our country".

On November 27 2009, the organisations sent a joint public statement to bTV, which was to broadcast the documentary a day later, the Commission for Electronic Media, Prime Minster Boiko Borissov and Economy Minister Traicho Traikov.

According to the statement by the tourism organisations, broadcasting the film was "against Bulgaria's national interests".

In a reply, only hours before the film was to be broadcast, bTV issued a statement saying that the declaration by the tourism organisation was a "rude attempt to keep investigative journalism off air".

Concrete Gardens is a two-part documentary by journalist Genka Shikerova. The topic of the first part is the development of the Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach) resort. According to bTV, the documentary showed how Slunchev Bryag had become a "concrete chaos".

"In our view, the national interest is in the first place the right of our viewers to hear the truth about the destruction of a national treasure, the Bulgarian Black Sea, in the name of short term profits," bTV said in a public statement.

The first part of the film was broadcast on November 28 2009.

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Comments

Anonymous dani Mon, Dec 14 2009 17:16 CET

my mom is from varna!
as an architect and an urban planner, i only can say: in a couple of years, the tourisim in bulgaria will drop down. cause there are only hotels where you can get it everywhere in europe. it is nothin`special! the bulgarian landscape has so much potential, and it is so nice. but what is already build- sorry..it is almost crap!
it has no potential, and in 10 years, people will fly to albania (this already happens).
so if bulgaria wants to get substance- it has to be brave for [...]

Read the full comment new concepts.
if you want to be special- you can`t choose the way, which the mass market is chosing- otherwise you will get this, what the mass market is getting!
i wrote my diploma about a new tourisim concept in Varna.
if somebody has interest to share ideas about that topic: write me:

govarna@web.de

Anonymous Elf Thu, Dec 03 2009 01:21 CET

Well i think Bulgaria should be allowed to develop as well, i see nothing wrong with that. i guess you guys want bg to look like the way it was be4 15 year? Every Country has their own share of developments. Keep it real people.

Anonymous John Wed, Dec 02 2009 02:55 CET

Bulgaria has to be careful otherwise the Black Sea coast will end up like the Costas of Spain - populated by enclaves of foreigners who have no interest in Bulgaria's history or culture. Western Europeans buy places because they are cheap and the cost of living is cheap but aren't going to contribute towards the local economy.

What the Bulgarian government needs to do is follow the Greek model and set up a well-funded and powerful Ministry of Tourism (in Greece it's the second largest National government department). Make tourism a sustainable earner for your beautiful [...]

Read the full comment country!

Anonymous Bulletin Tue, Dec 01 2009 15:21 CET

Attention comrades, evil film makers want to raise awareness of overdevelopment and pollution of our black sea coast. We must round them up and shoot them immediately!!

Why has Bulgaria been so popular in the past despite the bad service? Because its cheap and fun. Take away the fun with overcrowding, take a away the value with gangsters putting up the rent and what are you left with? Bad service!!

Anonymous Rab Tue, Dec 01 2009 14:20 CET

The building along the coast must stop before its too late and that time is not far away.
The amout of apartment blocks which have been completed but remain unsold must number thousands and they will remain empty and unsold for a very long. time.

Anonymous IVAN Tue, Dec 01 2009 08:29 CET

Its sad but all down to greed! Planning procedures were in place but if you were to give local engineers money stuffed into brown paper bags you could get what ever you wanted built. A 4 storey block could easily be converted to a 6 storey one. Whio is investigating the engineers and their wealth???

Anonymous BG Mon, Nov 30 2009 19:47 CET

Looks like the tourism organizations are against the "Bulgarian national interests" and for their short sighted moneymaking schemes.. Ohh and shhhhh, please do not disturb the status, it would expose the incompetence and stupidity of the people involved!!!! Keep up the free speech flowing! Put a nail in their eye and ears, hope they get the message.

Anonymous bulgarian dave Mon, Nov 30 2009 19:26 CET

i live here in this wonderful country and yes its getting like a concrete jungle sadly. why does the goverment let this happen were theres a piece of land they build on it. there going the same way as spain. i live in aheloy and there spoiling the resedents sorroundings .half buit appartments that apparently have run out of money.

Anonymous robert Mon, Nov 30 2009 19:04 CET

do not fool yourself. they are sheep and will do nothing . they will wait for somebody else.

Anonymous Dianne Hatton Mon, Nov 30 2009 18:28 CET

Well done BTV, at last, "against Bulgaria's national interests".
"......communism may have gone, but the mentality remains. Its about time people were given the truth, nice or not, so they can make their own mind up !!!

Anonymous Nat Sun, Nov 29 2009 21:22 CET

Bravo to bTV for sticking to it's guns - the nonstop, and unnecessary construction on the black sea coast is more dangerous to the reputation of Bulgaria than a film about it. Hopefully this will go a step towards preserving what is left.

Anonymous Observer Sun, Nov 29 2009 11:46 CET

Bulgaria is one of the best holiday and otium countries of the entire world. It is time that the Bulgarian political and business elite take this fact serious.
This is a good starting point for debate and strategy development.

Anonymous blighty Sun, Nov 29 2009 11:25 CET

We spent our honeymoon in Sunny Beach in 2003. We went back to visit two years later and had trouble finding our Hotel as it was surrounded by new Hotels and apartment blocks. Concrete garden is not an appropriate description. Concrete jungle is better. So very sad.

Anonymous Ivan Sun, Nov 29 2009 11:02 CET

I could not agree more with the bTV emission yesterday!


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