Tourism “Collapse”? or Just Media Hype

In this week’s Buzz:

• Interested in developing your Bulgarian? Here’s a book!

• Greece moves military assets to protect Bulgaria

• A few festivals coming up in March

• What’s the name of the restaurant closing down soon?

• Italian weekend in Bansko

• Is the media over-hyping news stories about Bansko?

• Car park behind Victoria is closed and area is fenced off

Recent articles seem to be exaggerating some news stories lately.

Some recent headlines about Bansko tourism have painted a pretty dramatic picture, but do they reflect reality or are things being overhyped? An article published the other day was titled “Bansko Faces Tourism Collapse as Middle East War Triggers Mass Cancellations” (you can read the article here, but I don’t believe you should).

The article sets out that the two months left in the winter season (slight miscalculation, but ok) have left the end of the season “…on the brink of collapse…” because March is a busy time for some tourists to visit the resort.

Then, a day later, the same news site published a new article titled “Winter Season in Bulgaria's Bansko Impacted by Cancellations from Israeli Tourists,” available here. Less sensational and more level-headed: Bansko would be impacted by cancellations of many hotel/holiday bookings.

There was also an article on several media websites this week about a child being struck by a snowmobile on the mountain in Bansko. Later, it was found that the story wasn’t true: the snowmobile bumped into the child, but he wasn’t hurt.

It introduces a question: can we trust media stories about Bansko? Well, it depends: next week I’ll be bringing a story to Beehive members about my thoughts on some media stories in the UK that seem to be misleading the British public about prices at the resort. I’ll also be showing what data and these sources they’re relying on (it’s all a bit… weird).

Community & Coworking at Altspace

Our community bridges the gap between the Bansko community and working online at a coworking space, bringing people together by challenging each other on Side Hustle Day, enjoying dinner together in a local restaurant, painting & wine, or chilling and talking about everything and nothing at Friday Beers.

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Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 177 New Posts, 💬 782 Comments, 👍️ 4,379 Reactions

Do Not Go To The Red Rose Club
Ryan posted to make everyone aware that in early February, he went to the Red Rose (strip) Club on Pirin Street (set back from the taxi rank near Ginger) and was supposedly scammed out of €3,200.

Any Day Hikes That Don’t Require a Car?
Vania asked whether anyone knew of any day-hiking routes that start in Bansko and don’t require a car to reach. See where people suggested.

Is There Anywhere Local That Does Car Paint Work?
Jim wants some touch-ups done to his car’s paintwork because it has some scratches/chips, and wondered if there was somewhere local people went. See where people suggested.

Interested in Developing Your Bulgarian? We Wrote a Book!
Dylan posted letting everyone know that he’s teamed up with Desislava and they’ve written a book about the Bulgarian language that helps beginners and intermediates with the alphabet, pleasantries, numbers, sentence structure, and verbs/tenses.

Where is The Best Place to Buy Goggles and a Helmet?
Rob is coming to ski in Bansko and needs to purchase a helmet and some goggles. See where people suggested he go.

Bansko & Beyond

Local celebrations for Liberation Day
Tuesday (3rd) was Liberation Day in Bulgaria. Locally, in Bansko, there were celebrations on the mountain, followed by recognition of the national holiday in Bansko town and in Dobrinishte. Read more.

Bansko launches yearly “Learn to Ski” initiative
This week, the Bansko resort ski operator (Yulen) launched their 17th annual edition of the “Learn to Ski” programme. They invite young people from across the country to learn and develop their skills on the mountain. To date, they’ve helped some 45,000 children. Read more [translation required].

Medals for Yulen Snoboard Club in Vitosha Cup
The Yulen Snowboard Club recently took part in the Vitosha Cup, walking away with a handful of medals across multiple age categories. Great to see young talent from Bansko winning gold and silver medals in competitions. Read more.

Car park behind Victoria closes and is fenced off
The large car park behind Victoria restaurant (just up the road from Morris Bar) has been sold to Ulen. You’ll see that it’s been fenced off just after the busy period in the resort (perfect timing, some might say). It’s not clear whether this will be converted into a payable car park or something else. As soon as it becomes clear, I’ll let you know.

Greece moves military assets to protect Bulgaria
This week, Greece moved F-16s and Patriot defence missiles to the northern part of Greece to protect Bulgaria from any potential attack from Iran. Bulgaria requested assistance as a fellow NATO country. This is rumoured to be after an emergency government meeting where the risk of a chemical/biological attack on the country was discussed. Read more.

Join over 60 million people using Revolut. Hold Euros in your account and pay local businesses in Bansko easily. Sign up for an account now.

New to Bansko? Skip the tourist traps and join Nick for Bansko Like a Local tour. An insider’s guided tour to the best bars, restaurants/mehanas and hidden gems. Learn more.

Shop on Amazon & get packages delivered to Bansko with GGBG. Regular transport from the UK, Germany and the USA to Bulgaria. See website for info.

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Events Next Week

Bansko Street Dogs Pub Quiz
On Monday (9th), BSD’s pub quiz will take place at The Chef’s House on Nayden Gerov Street. Starts at 7.30pm and entry fee is 5€. The quiz is currently full, but has a waitlist. More info.

EXE Winter Festival
On Saturday (14th) and Sunday (15th), a new type of festival comes to Bansko. It starts at 12noon on the mountain at Banderishka Polyana (ticket only) and continues down at Happy End from 6pm, and then on to Flash Club until late. I wrote about this event in issue #82 of the Buzz. More info.

Innerdance (Razlog)
On Saturday (14th), starting at 6pm, Ether in Razlog is hosting an innerdance workshop, which “…is a deep, holistic process of inner transformation that activates your natural potential for liberation, awareness and awakening”. Price 40€. More info [translation required].

Italian Weekend in Bansko
On Saturday (14th), starting at 7pm, NP Bansko (the old CWB hotel) is hosting an Italian Weekend that includes a Neapolitan pizza workshop, live pasta cooking, and Italian classic cocktails. Price 25€ for food (drinks extra). More info.

Future Events

Bansko Book Club
On Wednesday 18th of March at 6.30pm, the Bansko Book club will meet to talk about their chosen book for the month “The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules”. There will be a lively discussion about the book and a vote to choose the book for next month. More info.

59th National Ski Championship for Journalists
On Saturday 21st of March, the national ski championship for journalists will be held in Bansko. More info.

Balkan Folklore Festival
On the 19th to 22nd and 26th to 29th of March, the Balkan Folklore Festival returns to Bansko for its third year. This will include music, singers, and traditional dancing from both Serbian and Bulgarian groups. (The programme for the events is yet to be released.) More info.

Splitboard Festival
On Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th of March. More info [translation required].

Retro Bansko Festival
On Friday 27th to Sunday 29th of March. More info [translation required].

Regular Weekly Events

Here is a list of the twelve regular events that will be happening every week throughout the winter season:

- Pub Quiz: Monday from 7pm at different venues (Bansko Street Dogs).
- Bansko Run Club(ish): Tuesday at 6.30pm meet at Altspace Coworking (Central).
- Spanish Speakers Meeting: from 6pm at DiVino Wine Bar
- Latin Dance Night: Tuesday from 7pm at Four Leaf Clover.
- Pool Tournament: Thursday from 6.30pm at Smokey Mountain.
- Friday Beers: Friday 6pm to 8pm at Altspace Coworking (Central) [BYOB].
- Latin Dance Night: Friday from 7pm at DiVino.
- Bonkers Bingo: Friday from 7.30pm at The Hub
- Karaoke: Friday from 8pm at Tipsy 360.
- BSD Saturday Sale: Saturday 10am to 2pm at Bansko Street Dogs shelter.
- Sip & Paint: Saturday 2pm to 4pm at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel.
- Free Walking Tour: Saturday at 2pm at the big tree near the church (duration: 1.5hours)
- Sunday Walk: Sunday from 11am, meeting at the gondola.

The Bansko Buzz’s Beehive🍯 

The Beehive is a monthly membership where I share more stories, information, and insights that I don’t share publicly. You also see things weeks or months before they’re published (whether in the newsletter or in the group).

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Photo of the Week

Night watch over Bansko.

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Before You Go…