Bulgaria's Ski Resort Bansko Triumphs Over the Crisis

In the last week hotels, ski facilities and restaurants in Bulgaria's mountain resort Bansko (southwestern Bulgaria) work at full speed - not the slightest trace of economic crisis.

For New Year eve the small town was packed with tourists - over 15, 000 Bulgarians and foreign tourists came to spend the holiday. According to some local hotelkeepers the number of visitors is even bigger - about 20, 000.

The overflow surprised the local people from Bansko used to the ups and downs regarding flow of tourists.

In the streets of Bansko could be seen automobiles with different registration plates. Bulgarian speech mixes up with English, Greek, Romanian and Serbian.