MOUNTAIN ROADS AND PASSES
The Republican Road Infrastructure Fund said on December 18 that the high mountain roads were partly iced over. The  Troyan-Kurnare, Etroploet-Zlatitsa, Tvurditsa-Elena passes and the Shipkovo-Ribaritsa road were closed. All vehicles were required to put on snow chains and lorries could not pull additional trailers when travelling through the Petrohan, Pamporovo, Prevala and Pechinsko passes. In addition, all lorries travelling through the mountain passes and roads Belovo-Yundola, Velingrad-Gara Avramovo, Velingrad-Surnitsa and Batak-Dospat were not allowed to pull additional trailers or semi-trailers and must put on snow chains. Also, it they were travelling along the Shipka pass and the Sliven-Stara Reka and Sliven-Ichera roads, lorries could not have additional trailers or semi-trailers either.

PAMPOROVO UPS AND DOWNS
Chepelare mayor Georgi Popov said that several Pamporovo hotels had not paid the municipality their resort taxes for the past three years, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported on December 16. Popov said the debts amounted to about 500 000 leva. The municipality sent the hotels warning letters. If the debtors do not pay in the resort taxes due (the taxes have already been paid by tourists to the hotels) after the warning period expires, the hoteliers will be reported to the State Receivable Collection Agency. Meanwhile, Rhodope’s first resort officially opened its winter season on December 15. Snow cover at the weekend was 80cm and the lifts started operating on December 16. Hotel association Pamporovo 21 Century said that from December 22 until the end of 2007, Pamporovo was fully booked up with tourists. The hoteliers expected many tourists in January due to the good snow coverage. The resort’s new attraction is an ice skating rink in central Pamporovo. UK and Irish tourists are expected to be the resort’s main visitors this winter. Popov said that the ban on heavy vehicles and concrete mixer trucks entering Pamporovo during the winter season was being strictly enforced, in co-operation with local police.

RILA’S FIRST
More than 80 per cent of  booking requests for the 2007/08 winter season in Borovets came from abroad, Bulgarian-language Monitor reported on December 18. Currently the resort has about 5500 beds. Most visitors are from the UK, however tourists from Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Serbia and Macedonia are expected as well. Borovets anticipates 100 per cent hotel occupation. Hoteliers’ plans also include increasing the number of Bulgarian tourists visiting the resort. A ban on construction vehicles and lorries entering Borovets will be in effect until March 15 2008.

SKIING IN STARA PLANINA
Central Stara Planina Tryavna municipality have developed a Regional Development Plan for Tryavna Ski Zone. Following public hearings, the coalition of 17 environmental organisations To Sustain the Nature in Bulgaria said the project was inadvisable because of the lack of snow at such low altitude, problems with the drinking water supply and because the ski zone was planned for construction in Bulgarka Natural Park and in zones of the European ecological network Natura 2000. Two civic groups including Vitosha Nature Park landscape architect and tourism expert Tanya Georgieva-Schnell expressed similar opinions.