Bulgaria has seen a boom in popularity as a ski destination due to the large amount of development which has taken place in the country in recent years, it has been claimed.

The country has been attracting an increased amount of attention from investors since its accession to the European Union in January, with some investors considering entering the ski property market.

Nina McMaster, a senior product manager for ski holiday company Neilson, said that Bulgaria offered all-round appeal for families, couples and groups, and was a great place for new skiers and snowboarders as it was relatively cheap to learn there.

She said: "Bulgaria has seen growth in the last two years mainly due to the number of new hotels and apartments that have been built in the relatively new resort of Bansko."

With new figures from directline-holidays.co.uk suggesting that increasing numbers of Britons are choosing activity holidays, it is likely that the slopes are set to play host to more winter sports enthusiasts, and this year's top chalet trend is hot tubs, according to one expert.

"Chalets with hot tubs are particularly popular at the moment, especially as many mid-range operators are now offering chalets with hot tubs, it's not just the super luxury chalets, so they are affordable," revealed Jessica Sales, a ski sales consultant at Alpine Answers.

Source: RealEstateTV