Skiers on the run as sterling goes downhill

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Skiers on the run as sterling goes downhill

Jo Thornhill, Mail on Sunday
4 February 2008

Skiers and snowboarders planning a last-minute trip may want to give the traditional Alpine resorts of France and Italy a miss.

Poundstretcher: Jacqueline Potter has switched to Bulgaria

Jacqueline Potter, 26, from Clapham, South London, is a keen snowboarder and loves the French Alps. But earlier this month she and her friends chose to ski in a resort in Bulgaria, to save money.

'I love skiing in France, but a week's holiday can be expensive,' says Jacqueline, a buying administrator for a large department store. 'I noticed that the sterling/euro exchange rate was really poor so that impacts even more on the overall cost. There was great skiing in Bulgaria and it was a lot cheaper.' Jacqueline says she spends an average of about £900 on a week's skiing holiday in France, but she spent only £550 on her Bulgaria trip.

Last month, the pound slumped to its lowest level against the euro since the currency's launch in 2002, seriously eroding Britons' spending power.

At the end of last week, tourists wanting to exchange money on the High Street could get rates at between €1.28 and €1.3 to the pound. This compares with 1.41 in January 2007. It means that a holidaymaker changing £500 would now get about €640, compared with about €705 in January last year.

'The euro has continued to strengthen against the pound, but the US and Canadian dollar as well as the Bulgarian lev continue to offer good value for holidaymakers,' says Anthony Hudson, director at travelex.co.uk.

'We recommend travellers keep a close eye on exchange rates before booking their holidays or they might end up spending significantly more.'

Perelik Project Going Well

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This project is one billion euros of private investment which will link Pamporovo, Perelik, Smolyan lakes and Smolyan town together to extend Ski runs in excess of 200 kilometres and facilities to make this region a four season resort, including a professional golf course, children's attraction, conference & exhibition centres, an amazing array of infrastructure. It will be the largest ski resort not only in Bulgaria but in the Balkans.

The company that manages Pamporovo resort in Bulgaria has already extended its ski area to the village of Stoikite with the construction of three-kilometre six-seater chair lift.

In addition to the new lift, an investment of more than 20.5 million Euros has improved the ski infrastructure of the resort over the past four years, increasing the number of beds and extending the ski zone in the region. The total length of the ski runs in Pamporovo is now 55 km.

News

Skiers on the run as sterling goes downhill

Skiers on the run as sterling goes downhill

Perelik Project Going Well