The future of Pamporovo is dubious, although probably bright, analysts say...
The Super Perelik project, planning to connect Pamporovo proper to the Perelik peak in the Smolyan municipality and Mechi Chal in the Chepelare municipality (Pamporovo is administered by both) can bring crucial livelihood to the heart of a region relying only on tourism and wood production. It also envisions creating 3370 new jobs. Who dares argue with that? Save for environmental organizations almost no one. Super Perelik is dear to many state people, partly because it has been 30 years in the making. A military presence on Mechi Chal and the Perelik peak hindered development thus far.
The visionary tale speaks of a road connecting the Smolyan region town of Roudozem to the Greek town of Xanthi at a hopefully reasonable point in the future; of a state promise to fund the Plovdiv-Smolyan stretch; and even of a future airport close to Smolyan. Today an airport close to Smolyan. Tomorrow a cosmodrome near Bansko and a plot for submarines near the St. Constantine resort, a blogger commented. Point well taken the plan is quixotic.
Still, if the construction of a new airport is questionable, the road to Greece isn't. Once completed, it will allow tourists to choose between landing in Sofia, Plovdiv, Kavala or Thessaloniki, Draganov says.
Sewerage, water supply, waste and electricity issues can also be resolved. So says Draganov, and Smolyan lawyer Vassil Vassilev agrees. The state will double the water supply to Pamporovo before the 2008-2009 season, and the village of Mougla will donate the rest. Although Mougla residents protest, they will not be able to prevent that from happening, Vassilev told PropertyWise. In addition, a couple of extra electric posts will be propped up, and the Chepelare municipality is slowly making progress on waste issues. Representatives from the Smolyan municipality were not available to comment on the municipality's waste plans.
Moreover, two months ago, the Smolyan municipality finally took measures against unrestrained building and limited the height of future construction sites. It also ordered that construction activities stop during the three months of the active ski season. In Vassilev's opinion, limiting the height of construction sites was a belated reaction because nature in Pamporovo proper is already damaged. Still, the above steps also appear to be an intelligent move.
Finally, Pamprovo with Super Perelik can make E 200 million a year, Draganov says. If the region gets investment worth E 1 billion, E 100 million will be left with the state and feed a better infrastructure, he says. The state is an abstract concept, you say? Not more so than in Italy, the Independent would counter, and still advise you to invest.
If Super Perelik is to avoid repeating the amorous couples-to-dead-zones cycle, investors and authorities will have to take care of certain matters. Foremost is the question of road infrastructure. The arteries pumping the heart of the region may dangerously clot while allowing tourists access to the 30 000 beds that Super Perelik envisions to have together with surrounding villages.
If the resort manages to attract this impressive number of tourists, at certain weekends, traffic to Pamporovo would dawdle at 20 km an hour because the tourist capacity will be four times the capacity of existing roads, Draganov said. The thin and winding Plovdiv-Smolyan stretch may then take victims and this may be just what the state needs to quickly start widening the existing road, he adds.
Four thousand cars go through Chepelare each day at the moment, and the season has not yet started. With 30 per cent more tourists expected to visit Pamporovo this season, weekends will certainly trouble the roads, even if the resort now has a 11 000- to 15 000-person capacity. Terrains for parking lots were not allocated, and 20 per cent of tourists are expected to come to Pamporovo with their own cars, said Georgi Georgiev, president of Pamporovo 21 Century, an association of hotels and restaurants in the region on Oct. 18 in Smolyan.
Another problem is that the capacity of ski facilities of Pamporovo with Perelik will exceed the capacity of beds by about 10 000. Also, if the current 11 000- to 15 000-person capacity of Pamporovo proper is filled with tourists, about 6000 of them will be left without water because of inadequate supply, Vassilev says, quoting specialists.
To add more darkness to the tale, ecologists claim that companies like the Sport-Tourist Centre Perelik (STC Perelik) the company executing the project, typically function under the false pretense of economic boon for all, but care only for the profit of future and current hotels; and damage nature. This has happened before and will happen again, they say.
The company's manager Kiril Assenov, however, has told Bulgarian-language media that only a 26 per cent profit will remain within the company. The rest will rightfully spill to society.
Assenov is a respected businessman, so his reputation weighs in favour of the project's success. He is not the only one in charge of the project, though. For one, its 2197 hectares are owned by state, municipalities and private parties. And, Assenov has some not-so-positive speculation attached to his name to boot. He is said to be the best man of Deputy Minister of Environment and Waters (MOEW) Lyubka Katchakova.
In short, developers should do all they can to develop the potential of the region (a tricky word, unfortunately), while not whetting the appetite of investors. And caring for nature.
Balancing the developmental and environmental vision is a curious, almost impossible task. So everyone hopes Assenov can stand the moral test.
Meanwhile, we have to be ready for the challenges coming with EU entry, Draganov says.
Competition is coming. At least five low-rate aviation companies are coming. This will sharply increase unorganized tourists coming for a week or for weekends. And increase not only winter ski-vacations, but summer vacations and outside season short-term travels related to cultural, village, and eco tourism as well.
Are we ready for that?
We are, but we don't know it yet, Draganov says. Back to Property in Bulgaria
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