Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Serbs and Croats, Hungarians and
Soviets, Catholics and Eastern Ortho-
dox—each of these groups has a claim on
the culture, and each is in competition
with the other for the same piece of real
estate. Will they be able to recognize the
need for peaceful coexistence and prosper
together in peace or will they find they
are unable to give up a little to gain a lot?
Even in the face of warring traditions,
economic and political developments
related to the European Union have
transformed Eastern Europe. The road to
European Union membership has been
difficult for some of the region's coun-
tries, but their effort to join the larger
European community also reflects a new
stability among them. That, in turn, has
attracted foreign development and a new
tourist demographic.
Bulgaria and Romania in particular are
working hard to overcome the offputting
perception that they are countries still
operating with an iron curtain mentality.
Bulgaria's tourism industry hopes that E.U.
membership will help dispel those inac-
curacies, and its officials are working hard
at an image makeover that will more accu-
rately reflect the country as it is today.
The vetting process for E.U. member-
ship has also reduced the shroud of
uncertainty surrounding Eastern Euro-
peans' ability to live together peacefully
and it has given their citizens—and the
world—the hope that the region's future
might turn out to be prosperous.
BULGARIA
The fall of the Berlin Wall did little to
boost this nation on the Black Sea from its
plight as one of the poorest in the old
Soviet bloc. In 1999, 10% of the popula-
tion still lived in impoverished conditions.
The old Communist regime ruled the
country until 1997 under the guise of
“Socialists,” but the state still controlled
the economy. The result was hunger, disar-
ray, and eventually an economic collapse.
After the Socialist government fell, there
seemed to be little chance that this nation
with a heritage dating from Byzantine
times would turn around quickly, but
governmental and currency reform have
moved rapidly.
Situated on the southeastern tip of
the Balkans, Bulgaria has pushed hard to
become an accepted member of the world
cultural and economic community by
seeking full membership in the E.U.
Publicity surrounding that effort has
put a spotlight on both the good and the
bad of Bulgaria's emergence from Com-
munist control.
Tourists are uncovering the complex
history of cities like Sofia, which can trace
its lineage back 4,000 years. They can
savor the mélange of cultures from the
Romans to the Ottomans to remnants of
the iron curtain years.
The Byzantine Church of St. George,
the Sofia Synagogue, and the Ottoman
Banya Bashi Mosque all are within easy
walking distance of each other.
Skiers are finding banner skiing at bar-
gain prices in resorts such as Borovets and
Bansko, while sun worshippers are bask-
ing at Black Sea havens like Sunny Beach
and Golden Sands.
Right now, Bulgaria is a travel bargain
thanks to a relatively low-cost but well-
educated workforce. The country's tourism
infrastructure still needs a lot of work,
but there are signs that the means to
improve it are building because invest-
ment, construction, and tourism all
showed strong growth in 2005.
At press time, Bulgaria had just joined
the E.U. and accepted the World Bank's
first infusion of cash ($300 million).
How the future plays out remains to be
seen. The challenge is in putting aside the
totalitarian mindset and sustaining reforms
that will control corruption and increase
the standard of living for Bulgaria's
citizens.
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