Plovdiv

Bulgaria's winter tourism season has surpassed expectations, with a remarkable 25% increase in foreign visitors compared to initial projections. According to Prof. Rumen Draganov, director of the Institute for Analyzes and Evaluations in Tourism, the country welcomed over 2.1 million tourists from abroad during the winter season, significantly exceeding the anticipated 1.7 million visits.

The housing market in Bulgaria witnessed mixed trends in the fourth quarter of 2023, with overall prices experiencing a modest increase of 1.2%, according to the latest data released by the National Statistics Institute. While this marks a slowdown compared to the preceding quarter's growth of 2.7%, the market continues to show resilience amid evolving economic conditions.

Bulgaria experienced a significant boost in its economy last year, with foreign investors creating more than 2,000 new jobs in various sectors. This exciting revelation came to light during the prestigious "Investor of the Year" awards ceremony, hosted by the InvestBulgaria Agency on March 5.

A protest will be held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, calling for the dismantling of the Soviet-era monument known as Alyosha. Organized by the "We Want a Bulgarian Monument" Initiative, demonstrators are demanding the removal of the statue and its replacement with figures of Bulgarian national heroes or symbols of Bulgarian statehood.

Protests under the slogan „Get the mafia out of healthcare!" will take place today from 5 p.m. in front of the Council of Ministers in Sofia. Besides the capital, protests are also organized in Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse, and The Hague, Netherlands.

On February 14th, the debut song of Bulgarian football star Hristo Stoichkov was released. The song is titled "At Least Love", and it features Toni Dimitrova and Bratia Argirovi in the performance.

Plovdiv, Bulgaria - Traffic ground to a halt in Plovdiv as a convoy of 120 tractors and heavy equipment entered the city, disrupting normalcy and causing chaos on the roads. The protesting farmers, representing various sectors of agriculture, directed their convoy towards the State Fund "Agriculture" after opting not to block the Trakia highway as initially planned.

Starting this morning, the city of Plovdiv commenced the distribution of free travel cards for public transport to students aged 7 to 14.

There were no reports of overcrowding at the service desks, where parents could obtain the new travel documents for their children.

A noticeable uptick in influenza and acute respiratory diseases is sweeping Bulgaria, prompting significant measures in various regions of the country.

Bulgaria braces for hazardous weather conditions as a yellow code for strong winds is declared in 13 regions, including Sofia, Plovdiv, and Vratsa. Wind gusts of up to 24 meters per second are anticipated in some areas. Additionally, the Stara Planina passes, specifically the Republic and Shipka, face significant snowfall, resulting in icy sections.