Bansko

Hundreds of tourists arrive in the winter capital of the Balkans - Bansko to watch the Snowboard World Cup live. Hotels in Bulgaria's ski resort were booked almost three months before the race. Packages vary between 120 and 140 BGN per day, including bed and breakfast and dinner.

Climber Boyan Petrov will submit to the MOEW an amended version of the decision of the Council of Ministers of 28 December on the management plan for Pirin National Park. It will explicitly state that only the construction of a second cableway in Bansko is allowed.

Over the last day, 30 joint inspections of the NRA, the Ministry of the Interior and the municipality have been carried out at sites located on the territory of Bansko, with no violation found. This is what Vladimir Vassilev, head of the Operational Inspection Sector at NRA-Sofia, told BNT.

...: Protests Mark the Opening of Bulgaria's EU PresidencyAs Bulgarian and European officials were making speeches at the opening ceremony for Bulgaria's first EU Presidency in Sofia on Thursday evening, outside, thousands of people took to the streets to protest a controversial development plan in the UNESCO-protected Pirin national park.

Several thousands people took the streets of Bulgarian capital of Sofia, with hundreds more protesting in nine more cities across the country, after the government decision to allow constructions at the Pirin National Park.

Chanting "Mafia" and "Resignation" the protesters have blocked the Eagles' Bridge in central Sofia.

According to them, the presented project for the construction of the second lift in Bulgaria's 'winter resort of Bansko is only the first step towards the construction of kilometers long ski runs in the forest territory of Pirin Park, which is a protected area. The environmentalists insist that the Council of Ministers cancel the permission for the construction of the ski lift.

The cabinet decided in favor of the ski tourism in Bansko and gave the green light for the eventual construction of a second cabin lift. This happened at the last meeting of the Council of Ministers for the year.

Environment Minister Neno Dimov said that any investment intention would go through all the points of the environmental legislation.

The conditions for hiking in the lower parts of the mountains are good. This was announced by the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) FOCUS Agency from the Mountain Rescue Service (MSF). There are good conditions for hiking in the region of Stara Planina.

US singer, songwriter and director Jared Leto and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which supports initiatives for sustainable development, have called on their many followers on Twitter to join the campaign of WWF-Bulgaria to save the UNESCO-designated Pirin National Park in Bulgaria.

Actor and Oscar winner Leonard DiCaprio took part in international support for Pirin.

A day after Jared Leto sent a letter to Prime Minister Borissov about the fate of the natural park, a position was taken by DiCaprio through his foundation.