Sat, Jul 04 2009
Bulgarian resort operator Albena AD has put up for sale its upscale holiday complex in Byalata Lagouna (White Lagoon) area, on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast.
The project is up for grabs for 42.5 million euro, and comprises two units of 177 flats, a spa centre with an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool, a beach, a tennis court, a restaurant, a sweet shop, a supermarket and a parking lot.
Albena unveiled in June plans to build on the 2.2ha land plot after failing to sell it. The complex should be finished by the end of 2010 at a cost of 17 million euro.
The resort operator has also put up for sale its Balchik Gardens project due to sprout in the coastal town of the same name. The investor is asking for eight million euro, VAT excluded, for ten buildings of up to five floors with a total floor space of 22 600 sq m and retail outlets. The company is putting the finishing touches of two of the buildings.
No buyers have shown up yet for the whole Byalata Lagouna project but six or seven of the flats have already been sold.
Source: Dnevnik.bg
Having staved off a loss in 2008 after an influx of more Romanian and Russian tourists, the resort is preparing for a difficult summer season in 2009.
The project will be financed by the Bulgarian Bank for Development, and the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, or Jessica Programme, although the report has so far failed to reveal the total cost of the vast enterprise.
The strategic plan envisages the conservation of the nature "for decades ahead", and it was formulated by a municipal team headed by professor Ivan Nikiforov, backed by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.
Once the overhaul and reconstruction of the Sofia–Vidin line is complete, it will cut travel time to three hours, as the train will be able to reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, shortening the journey to three hours.
Marriott however has made it clear that is not interested in investing in construction, but rather to occupy and manage existing buildings. Its strategy is to obtain management contracts.
Investors realise that it’s not viable to have a building remaining empty over the course of a year – so it's better for them to employ more flexibility to offset that loss.