Winter Tourism: 1.8 Million Visit Bulgaria
Bulgaria has witnessed a bustling winter tourism season, with a total of 1.8 million tourists gracing its picturesque landscapes from December 1 to March 25
Bulgarian environmentalists vowed to bring down eco-minister Nona Karadzhova after she announced that cabinet will take measures to legalize illegal facilities in Bulgaria's top ski resort Bansko.
The controversial lifts and runways were found to overstep the area given for exploitation to the Yulen company, which manages the Bansko ski zone, in an area that is protected both as part of Natura 2000 and as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"Yulen has in fact broken into territory it should not have been," confessed Wednesday Minister of Environment Karadzhova, after a number of checks of the territory had established that Yulen had illegally used some 250 acres of protected forest.
Minister Karadzhova went nevertheless on to nonplus journalists and environmentalists by saying that the government could do nothing against that.
She cited the alleged fact that terms of concession contracts cannot be changed according to Bulgarian law.
The Envrionment Minister also argued that otherwise cabinet would have to pull down facilities, something that in her words her colleagues Minister of Economy Traicho Traikov and Minister of Sport Svilen Neykov would be against.
Karadzhova went on to contradict herself by saying that the center-right GERB cabinet will make the amendments necessary to make those facilities legal by extending the territory given to Yulen.
"Destroying facilities will mean bringing down the whole of Bansko for 5-6 years, which is just crazy," said the Bulgarian eco-minister, arguing that the move is in the public interest.
Environmentalists united in the "For the Nature" network have already started a petition for her resignation, and have vowed massive protests to protect the Pirin National Park in the area of which the Bansko ski zone is located.
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Overnight, cloud cover will disperse and decrease to mostly clear skies across the western half of the country, while rain will persist in the eastern regions
Over the next 24 hours, a cold front will move across the country, bringing mostly cloudy skies and widespread rain
During the night, showers are expected in some areas, primarily in the western and northern regions, while the rest of the country will experience clearing skies
During the night, cloud cover will increase and thicken, with showers expected to develop from the southwest
Tomorrow, Bulgarians can expect a mix of sunshine and clouds as they step out into the springtime air
Over the next 24 hours, expect cloudy skies with rainfall across the eastern half of the country, where precipitation may be intense in some areas. Meanwhile, the western half will see clouds clearing during the day, becoming mostly sunny
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