“We would like to change the direction.”

“We have a lot to show to the world. Only three countries in Europe have such a strong culture. Those are Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and a small part of Macedonia. I am referring to Ancient Rome, Thrace and the ancient history. We really have exceptional things to show.”

“The collection of the National Museum of History (NMH) contains more than 600 000 historical artefacts. So we can pride ourselves, as a country, on historical cultural artefacts that we would like to show to people who come here as tourists. So they won’t,” as Bozhidar Dimitrov, historian and director of the NMH said, “equate Bulgaria with just Shopska Salata”.

It is a sunny Saturday afternoon in July. We’re at an outside-bar where sofas with large, comfortable pillows in various colours, placed on wooden platforms, provide seating under enormous umbrellas. At a short distance, between the nearby marina, and us, a collection of top-market-segment cars has found a parking place. This is the beach at Sveti Vlas and I am looking into the reflecting sunglasses of Yordan Dinev, half of the Dinevi brothers and one of the most prolific builders in Bulgaria.

The last time I was in Sveti Vlas was only a few years ago. At the time, Sveti Vlas was a fairly ordinary Bulgarian village, with a few houses loosely sprinkled over the last slopes of the Stara Planina just before it plunges into the Black Sea. A road, winding along the slopes parallel to the sea, and stretches of bare land, separated the village from the beaches.

A lot has changed since then.

The unused land between the village and the sea is now a sheer endless chain of vacation complexes. The density of buildings within Sveti Vlas itself has gone up considerably and streets seem to have had some maintenance. The central square, once a large bare slap of asphalt that was almost impossible to cross under the scorching summer sun is now mostly covered with blocks of greenery, benches and a fountain. There are proper pavements everywhere, and – it takes some getting used to for someone who lives in Sofia – cars are parked in designated parking areas instead of on the sidewalk.

Responsible for a large part of the new construction is the group of companies that Dinev heads with his brother.

A lot has changed and more change is to come.

“If we’re speaking about Sveti Vlas, within the next two years a large part of the complexes will be finished, complete with infrastructure, new roads, pavements and street lights. Of course, everything will be well maintained and well managed. This will be a truly luxurious destination and I can see this is already happening. You can see the cars that are parked out here, there is a fortune in cars parked here already,” Dinev says.

“The idea that we, with Bozhidar Dimitrov, have is to change or try a different direction in tourism. Not so much middlebrow, but more directed towards cultural heritage. People come here for the sun and everything else we offer as a tourist destination. But while they are here, it would be good to show them who we are, as people, as a nation. We are working in that direction.”

“For the first time in Bulgaria, we have managed to set up an exhibition outside the walls of museums, in the Palace Hotel in Marina Dinevi, here in Sveti Vlas, with artefacts from the closed collection of the NMH.”

This is not a recent or sudden interest that the Dinevi Group has taken in culture. In the past, it has supported the work of the Perperikon Foundation in the Kurdjali region. More recently, the group was involved in the construction of the amphitheatre in Sveti Vlas and the construction of the Sveti Vlasiy church on the spot of the 14th century monastery with the same name. It was also one of the first companies to register with the Culture Ministry when the Patronage Law for the support of culture went into effect in late 2005.

“Our registration was awarded registration number five. We were one of the first five who were interested in protecting and promoting Bulgarian cultural heritage and the possibility to promote this heritage worldwide,” Dinev says.

The Patronage Law offers a tax deduction over donations for culture if the donor or the receiving not-for-profit organisations are registered with the ministry. The tax incentive has not exactly created a storm of registrations. More than two-and-a-half years after the law went into effect, only a handful of companies and even fewer individuals are currently registered.

“We have not registered to reduce our taxes. Maybe that is our mistake. I don’t even know the details of the financial aspects of the law. I have no idea. We don’t have this practice as a foundation, as a company,” Dinev replies when asked if he thinks the tax-incentive has been efficient in stimulating support for culture from the private sector.

The foundation Bulgarian Heritage - Dinevi Brothers (Българска памет – братя Диневи) was registered in 2005. The statutes of the foundation describe its main tasks as establishing, restoring and maintaining monuments related to the heroic past of Bulgaria.

“Our companies finance our foundation,” Dinev says.

The foundation has supported the construction of a series of monuments, including a monument for the Rhodopi educator, Stoyu Shishkov, in front of the historical museum of Smolyan and a monument dedicated to Bulgarian pilots who fell in the defence of Sofia during World War 2.

It plans to build a large monument in the region of Pamporovo for Momchil Yunak, a 14th century Bulgarian independent feudal lord in the Rhodopes and a legendary fighter against the Ottoman invasion of the country.

“Our foundation built a monument three years ago, for those who fell in the fight against world-wide terrorism. That was in Karlovo where the 61st brigade prepared for their mission in Iraq. Later on we were told by former US ambassador [John] Beyrle that it was the first monument of its kind worldwide. Not even in the US had a similar monument been built.”

“We follow an old tradition, not only Bulgarian but general European. It is normal for rich people, who can afford it, to give to society.”

“Like every normal foundation in the world, through our sponsorship, we support the needs of culture. We do the same for our traditions as other European foundations do for theirs.”

Part of the effort to change the direction of tourism in Bulgaria was the construction of the Marina Dinevi in Sveti Vlas several years ago built by Dinevi Group. At the beginning of the quay, there is a white plaque in which the brothers dedicate the construction to their father, whose idea and dream it was. After the construction of the marina, the Dinevi Group expanded its yachting division Venid-yacht.

“All these things are inseparably connected. This year we started a boat charter business. Anyone who wants to rent a boat to go to Varna, Sozopol or Balchik or even to Turkey or Greece can do that. We have a wide choice of new boats, including sailboats and motorboats, including some where the engine hasn’t even been started.”

What is lacking along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast is a good infrastructure, though. There are currently only a few marinas that are suitable for boats to dock and refuel or find shelter from bad weather.

“A number of new marinas are in the planning stages, so within a few years there will be many more good destinations. Then, between Balchik and Tsarevo, we can have 10 or 12 or even 15 marinas where yachts can dock. This is the main reason why the Black Sea is not yet a well known destination for sailors.”

“I have friends whom we meet in different ports in Greece, Italy or Turkey, who don’t come exactly for that reason. I think that this will change in two to three years.”

Growing up and living at the seaside, boats have been more than just a business interest for the brothers.

“Yachts are an old hobby. We have had an interest in yachts and boats our entire life.”

“We love yachting and travelling. We’ve turned that hobby into business, which is wonderful. Everything else is business.”

In business, one speaks about the Dinevi in plural almost exclusively. There hardly seems to be place for much difference between the brothers.

“We’re a good duo. Maybe I have a bit more of an artistic personality. We complement one another. He’s a serious mathematician, theoretician, while I’m more involved in the idea-phase of future developments,” he says, “there are no other differences. We don’t differ much in age and we’ve grown up together. We’re not from different generations or with a large age difference to have a different view on the problems of this country.”

Lines between construction, tourism, culture, yachting and tradition are easily crossed for Dinev.

“Again we follow a tradition [sailing] which, in Bulgaria, had decayed during the last 60 years. It was very difficult for anyone to own a boat, because you might use it to cross lines you were not supposed to cross, like the shared border with Turkey for example. So, for political reasons, it was forbidden and we were cut off from feeling like a seafaring nation, which we have been for 1300 years. Now the tradition has returned and new generations of sailors have appeared.”

Later that evening, strolling down the quay, I pass a parked Maybach on my right hand side, there’s a Porsche Design Studio boat to my left in the water, and while I watch an Aston Martin slowly rolling down the street, I am reminded of Dinev’s words about changing directions.

The manager: Yordan Dinev
The job: Owns, together with his brother Dinko, the Dinevi Group
The company: Dinevi Group
In brief: The Dinevi Group construction company was established in 1989 and specialises in the design, construction and sales of villas, hotels and residential complexes. They were the first to introduce the closed-type holiday villages and currently have a turnover of 1000 apartments annually.
Complexes and hotels built by the company are located in Sveti Vlas, Slanchev Bryag (Sunny Beach Resort), Bourgas, Pamporovo and Sofia, among others.
Besides construction and property management, core activities of the Dinevi Group include the sales and rental of yachts, hotels and establishments, agriculture and art patronage.