Ski Season Opening in Bulgaria's Bansko Interrupted by Protest
Tourism | December 15, 2012, Saturday| 1429 views
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Minutes before the start of the opening celebrations, tourists unfurled posters and started shouting chants against the concessionaire of the ski slopes and facilities in the winter resort, Yulen, and the high prices of ski passes. Photo by dariknews.bg
Saturday's opening of the 2012-2013 ski season at the Bulgarian mountain resort of Bansko was interrupted by a surprise protest.
Minutes before the start of the opening celebrations, scheduled to include a race with ski legends Herman Maier, Marc Girardelli, and Petar Popangelov, tourists unfurled posters and started shouting chants against the concessionaire company of the ski slopes and facilities in the winter resort, Yulen, and the high prices of ski passes.
A single-day lift ticket in Bansko now costs BGN 58, up by almost 50%, according to reports of struma.com.
"Monopolists beware, there will be no tourists this year," the protesters shouted.
Despite the attempts of the security guards of Yulen to hide the protest, the rally was seen by the official guests.
Atanas Kondev, head of security at Yulen, commented that the demonstration had been an act of provocation and sabotage.
According to reports of local news agencies, Bulgaria's mountain resort of Bansko had been gearing up for the official opening of the ski season for days.
On Saturday, ski season 2012 – 2013 opens in Bansko, Pamporovo, and Borovets, and the inaugural event in Vitosha is scheduled for Sunday.
Tags: ski, ski season, ski resort, Borovets, Pamporovo, Vitosha, Bansko, Marc Girardelli, Petar Popangelov, Yulen, protest
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