A 255 million euro Perelik Project including new pistes, ski lifts, artificial snow equipment, hotels, car parking places, a possible golf course and 100km of new highway connections is to be built in the area of Bulgaria’s winter resort of Pamporovo.

Perelik, planned for completion in late 2007, is predicted to boost tourist arrivals by a mammoth 40 per cent for the next ski season, according to a media statement on January 28.

The media statement said that Pamporovo provides an affordable alternative to the Alpine A-listers and is “attracting tourists and property investors by the thousands”.

Despite the lack of snow, a problem shared by most European ski resorts because of an unusually mild autumn, Pamporovo hotels were fully booked for Christmas and New Year 2006, the media statement said.

“Demand is outstripping supply in peak season and so buoyant is the property market that experts reported 20 per cent price rises in Pamporovo from January 2006 to January 2007.”

Alongside the tourists and house hunters comes investment in infrastructure, the statement said. Pamporovo has been singled out for large-scale regional development.

“Bulgaria’s failed bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics, whether a genuine attempt or a publicity stunt, certainly attracted a lot of attention and the Bulgarian Government has pledged millions of euro in the direction of its ski resorts, not least Pamporovo, which is the setting for the Perelik Project.”

Perelik will connect the peak of the same name in Pamporovo with the Mechi Chal Peak near Chepelare. An environmental impact assessment has been completed and the world-class project is underway.

With a predicted budget of 255 million euro, Perelik will add 29.8 additional km of pistes to Pamporovo’s existing 18 and increase hotel bed stock from 4920 to 8000. Mechi Chal will see similar growth including 27km of new pistes and a sports stadium.

“Pamporovo, the sunniest and least windy of Bulgaria’s ski quartet, intends to emulate the phenomenal success of Bansko, but orientating more to the higher-end and keeping a close eye on sustainability and the environment.

The National Electricity Company is investing millions in a power supply upgrade while the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company is also making the necessary improvements to ensure a figurative �?surfing’ can be enjoyed apres ski for those at a loss without the internet, even when on holiday.”

The property market within Pamporovo begins from a lower base than counterpart Bansko as housing prices are consistently 20 per cent to 30 per cent lower, the statement said.