Golf in Bulgaria Is Advancing

Nikolay Peshev, Trud Daily, vol. 163, 17.06.09, p.18

While some people wonder whether there is a future for golf in Bulgaria luxury golf courses and spa developments mushroom despite the crisis.

Currently, in Bulgaria over 10 golf courses are under construction and two more – close to Dragichevo (to the west of Sofia) and Lukovit (Lovech Region) are waiting to be approved, said the Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Chavdar Georgiev. He is not only a member of a joint committee working on a golf tourism development project in the country but also a keen golfer.

According to him investors’ interest towards this type of real estate will not decrease in the next few years. This is not a fashion that will go away because golf facilities presuppose the development of a stable and quality tourism, the Deputy Minister argued.

Bulgaria has the chance to turn into an attractive golf destination. We have wonderful nature, our climate is mild, and there is a possibility the courses to be built on areas not used for intensive farming. We also have a varied relief and water resources.

Secondly, if we assume than one percent of Bulgarians decide to take up this sport in the next 5 to 10 years this means that we will need no less than 50 golf courses. Even a hundred would not be too many, Chavdar Georgiev pointed out.

However, currently there are 5 functioning golf courses. For comparison – in Germany there are hundreds of golf courses, in the UK – over 1,500, in Portugal there are about 200. For that reason, the government has mechanisms in place for the development of this sport.

The golf tourism development strategy which is being worked on includes the reduction of the procedures under the Environment Impact Assessment. What is also discussed is the possibility the terrains to be rented out for a longer period of 20-30 years without there being the need of declaration of public utility. Investors won’t have to pay the price of the land of the golf course itself.

This way the state will have income for many years and the investors won’t have such great expenses in the beginning which usually increase the price of the service. However, this does not include the purely commercial aspect involving the construction of hotels, houses, villas, etc. They will have to be paid for.

If, for example, one needs 1,000 decares for the project 200 decares will be used for the construction of shops, restaurants, etc. These 200 decares will be paid as per market price and the other 800 decares could remain state or municipal property which will generate income. This way the state will be in a position to control what is being done on these plots, the Deputy Minister pointed out.

According to him the investment in a quality golf course amounts to some 10-15 million Euro, as this is the sum needed only for the terrain and the infrastructure and not for the holiday developments.

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