Why Varna

• Fastest developing city on the Black Sea

• Location – sea, mountain, forest

• Port, airport - infrastructure

• High quality food, spa, top healthcare

• Holiday resorts, social & night life

Qatar Presentation

Varna

We make things happen

• Location: East – Black Sea • Time zone: EET (UTC+2) • Area: 238 km2 • Population: ca 1 million • FDI: 2008 – UDS 320 mn • Education: 8 universities • Healthcare: private & state Hospitals and medical clinics • Part of Bulgarian GDP: 15% • Unemployment: 5,14%

Varna at a glance


• Known worldwide as the Pearl of the Black Sea • Second largest city in Bulgaria, an important

administrative, regional, industrial, commercial, educational, cultural and tourist centre

• The local economy is service-based, with 61% of net

revenue generated in trade and tourism, 16% in manufacturing, 14% in transportation and communications and 6% in construction.

• In April 2008, Knight Frank placed Bulgaria at the top

of the Global House Price Index, ahead of previous leader Latvia.

Varna - Fastest developing city


Varna - Location


• The gem of the Black Sea, situated in North-Eastern Bulgaria

• The Nature Reserve of Golden sands and dense

forests at the Kamchia River • Perfect hill network surrounding and protecting the

city • Varna and Ticha Lakes

• 3 hrs direct flight from London; 3,5 hrs from Paris;

4,5 -7 hrs from Doha and 3hrs from Larnaca.

Climate and Resorts


• Maritime climate - warm, sunny days from May to October with mid-summer air temperatures averaging 28 °C and sea temperatures ranging from 23-25 °C

• Springs and autumns are the cooler times of the year

but they are still pleasantly warm with temperatures in Varna sticking around the 18°C mark.

• Being a beach resort in its own right, Varna also

offers access to the first-class resorts of Sveti Konstantin, Sunny Day, Holiday Club Riviera, Golden Sands and Albena, the nature reserve at Kamchia and Balchik.

Historic Background


• Ancient, medieval, renaissance and modern cultures mingle and coexist throughout the city of Varna.

• Varna was born 26 centuries ago, when sea-farers frin the town of Miletus came to the lands of the Thracian tribe of Crobisi and after long struggles found their colony named Odessos, circa 580 B.C.

• Excavations of the Varna necropolises have revealed monuments of older civilizations, which can vie in antiquity and splendour with the Sumerian civilization.

• After its liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878, Varna quickly established as a seaside resort, enhanced by the European fashion in architecture and water transport. The city won the fame of a favourite place for Bulgarian cultural elite.

Varna Port


• Crossroad between Europe, Asia and Africa. • Handles all types of cargo, including liquid. Typical cargoes

are grain, containers, chemicals nad general cargo. In 2001 Varna is Number One in handling of dry cargo in the country.

• Varna has the only rail ferry terminal in the Black Sea

where it is possible to change the bogies of rail wagons from European to Russian standard. With this unique advantage, the terminal provides one of the shortest and the cheapest routes for the traffic between Europe and Asia.

• The second largest airport after the capital Sofia

• 75 airlines flying to more than 95 destinations in 36 countries around the world

• An investment of € 29 mn for a new 3-level passengers’ terminal at Varna International Airport will be made

Varna airport


• The density of road infrastructure in the region is one of the highest in the whole country

• One of the routes of major importance for the district is the Hemus motorway, leading to Sofia.

• A project of high priority is the construction of the

Cherno More motorway which will connect Varna and Burgas (134 km), the two largest Bulgarian cities and ports on the Black Sea

• The Asparuhovo Bridge connects the Asparuhovo

quarter to the rest of the city over the canals between the Black Sea and Lake Varna

Road Infrastructure


Shipbuilding Industry:

• design and construction of ships • product portfolio comprises of Tankers, Product Tankers,

Bulk Carriers, General cargo vessels, Coal Carriers and Container carriers.

• long history, extensive experience of skilled and efficient staff, well equipped workshops, docks and other facilities enable the shipbuilders to offer complex ship repair of high quality and short time at attractive prices.

N.Y. Vaptsarov Naval Academy - one of the founders and

an active member of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU).

Nautical culture


• Museums, theatres, professional arts companies, and arts festivals, visual arts, music, and book publishing, as well as bustling current pop-culture scene.

• Varna is a front-runner for European Capital of Culture for 2019, planning to open several new high-profile facilities such as a new opera house and concert hall, a new exhibition centre.

• The Festival and Congress Centre - multifunctional venue, purposebuilt for festivals, cinema and theatre performances, concerts, shows, exhibitions, congresses, conferences, symposia.

Cultural Centre


• Football is the biggest spectator sport with two rival clubs in the nation’s top professional league, Cherno More (the Sailors) and Spartak (the Falcons).

• Volleyball World Cup Games.

• The construction of a 120 m. ski slope is planned for Varna.

• Fishing, hunting, riding, hiking, swimming

• Palace of Culture and Sports - multifunctional athletic

complex, where lots of international and local sports events take place, as well as concerts, trade shows, exhibitions, and movie shows .

Sports Centre


• All medical establishments in Varna perform medical checks, tests and treatment of locals as well as foreigners .

• Specialised equipment for certain specialist treatment is available at specialized hospitals, where doctors and nurses are well qualified.

• Private hospitals in Varna meet the European requirements and standards.

• Bulgaria has become a haven for tourists who come here to get extremely low-cost and excellent quality dental care

• There are highly qualified dentists working at the centres in the sphere of therapy, surgery, orthopaedics, orthodontics, pediatric stomatology and implants .

Health & dental care


• Varna is a famous spa and wellness centre, a maritime

resort of national significance since 1950. • Available are modern balneotherapy and spa facilities. • 12 mineral springs in the region . • Another natural healing-prophylactic factor is the firth

mud from the Varna Firth Lake • Very popular is the application of spa and medical

treatment, mud medication, sand medication, lye treatment, solar treatment and sea baths.

Spa waters


• Varna Nightlife is a combination of laidback and recreational options for different individuals.

• Varna’s most popular luxurious restaurants offer special cuisine, such as Indian, Bulgarian, French, Portugeese and Spanish, Japanese, Turkish, Italian, Russian and many Chinese restaurants.

• In October 2006, The Independent dubbed Varna Europe’s new funky-town, the good-time capital of Bulgaria.

• Mall Varna – fashion wear, food court, Arena cinema, Excalibur Bowling and ice rink

Night life


• Vegetables, fruits and spices are spread around the different seasons and are to be consumed fresh .

• Statistics say that Bulgarians consume 2 times less meat compared with the new members of the EU .

• Bulgaria is a land of traditions and there are three food item varieties which are unique and have been a part of the country back through the earliest of Thracian times: cheese, yoghurt and spices.

• The abundance of mineral waters may be seen as one other important factor in the healthy nature of the Bulgarian people

• Honey is another traditional Bulgarian product; it has been produced here for more than 3,000 years.

High quality food


Investor Relations

Why Varna