Bansko

Pirin National Park was inscribed in the List of UNESCO's Convention on the conservation of cultural and natural heritage in 1983 for its primeval alpine landscape, old growth forests and endemic species. The site is also a National Park, which is high conservational status according to the Bulgarian environmental legislation. The history of ski-tourism above the town of Bansko dates from the 80s when a ski-zone was illegally constructed within the boundaries of Pirin National Part. In recent years, under the pressure of Bulgarian private investors (IULEN Shareholding), supported by the Bulgarian First Investment Bank which is supported by EBRD, project for threefold enlargement of the ski-zone was started in the National Park. The recent enlargement of the ski zone is in violation of a number of national and international conservation laws. There is a lack of official governmental policy for the development of nature-preserving forms of tourism as an alternative to the destructive construction of new ski-facilities.