In recent years, Bulgaria has enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth and political stability. As a result, the country joined the World Trade Organization (WATO) in 1996, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004, and the European Union (EU) in 2007. Bulgaria has shown how a post-communist, economically poor state can grow its economic structures to an advanced development and then be integrated into the EU.

Architecture
Many of Bulgaria’s villages have timber-built houses. Heritage villages from the National Revival Period (18th – 19th centuries) such as Koprivshtitsa, Bozhentsi, Kovachevitsa, Shiroka Laka and Zheravna have wonderfully preserved and restored houses. They feature graceful curved bay windows and ornate wooden ceilings, along with hand painted murals that show influences from Western Europe. Narrow cobbled streets and stone homes with slate roofs are a distinctive feature of many Rhodopes and Stara Planina villages.

The Bulgarian tourist industry presents significant development opportunities and a growing package holyday market from Western Europe, along with development potential for new summer and winter resorts, as well as theme park-associated resorts. According to the State Tourism Agency (DAT), the number of foreign tourists who visited Bulgaria in 2007 equaled more than 5 million. In December 2007, the Government introduced a new strategy for developing tourism until 2013. The strategy was elaborated with the cooperation of Bulgarian private business and focuses on attracting wealthier tourists, both by improvising service quality and preserving the country’s natural resources and culture heritage.

When it comes to quality wine and gorgeous wine country, Bulgaria might not be the first country you think of. After being 45 years behind the Iron Curtain; Bulgaria is still “terra incognita” for many people around the globe. However, you might be pleased to discover that Bulgaria is home to some of the finest wines available.

Bulgaria is located at the heart of the Southeastern European market, which comprises approximately 56 million people. A number of international rail and motorways cross the country, which enhance the its strategic location. The Pan-European Transport Corridors crossing Bulgaria are IV, VII, VIII, IX, and X. A network of eight motorways (E79, E83, E871, E772, E70, E773, E87, and E85) connects Bulgaria to Western Europe, Russia, Asia Minor, and the Black Sea. Bulgaria’s infrastructure needs considerable investors in new constructions and modernization. For this reason, the Ministry of Transportation adopted an ambitious Strategy for Development of the Transport Infrastructure of Bulgaria in 2006, which aims to have improved the transportation infrastructure greatly by 2015. It includes a detailed investment plan for the railway infrastructure, the road network, and the ports and airports of Bulgaria.Bulgaria has five main ports. The largest are Varna and Burgas, both located on the Black Sea. Russe, Lom, and Vidin are significant commercial ports on the Danube River.