As a city with convenient infrastructure and facilities at a good European level, Sofia has all the prerequisites to become a desirable destination for congress and festival tourism. This was announced by the CEO of Galaxy Investment Group Konstantin Boyadzhiev at the 6th Annual Meeting of the National Board of Tourism (NBT) held under the motto "2019 - Year of Internal Tourism, Investment and Innovation", which took place in Hilton Sofia. More than 150 leaders from the tourism industry, non-governmental organizations, and representatives of the legislative, executive and local authorities took part in the initiative. According to the Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova, the modernization of the hotels and the introduction of new hotel brands is important for the city. She pointed out that for the period 2008-2018 the number of overnight stays in the capital increased by 36% and the number of foreign tourists jumped by 82%. "An additional advantage for the city is the presence of prestigious four and five-star hotels that provide excellent opportunities for events of any format," said Konstantin Boyadzhiev. "Galaxy Investment Group has many years of experience in attracting global international brands, including the hotels InterContinental Sofia and Hilton Sofia, which are preferred by a large number of foreign guests, diplomats and representatives of high-level delegations from all over the world. International brands of such a rank have a positive impact on Sofia's image as a tourist brand, as they are its advertisement. They attract their international loyal customers here and show and promote both Sofia as a destination and Bulgaria," he added. "It is extremely important for the country's reputation the presence of international world brands such as InterContinental and Hilton. The presence of such high-end hotels is of particular importance for tourism," said the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova. She reported more than 8.4 billion BGN in revenues in 2018, up with 6% over a year earlier. For the last three years - since 2015, the growth of the revenues from international tourism is 34%. Last year our country was visited by over 9 million foreign tourists. The advertising budget for tourism should be 1% of the revenues that the sector generates annually in the economy of the country, said Polina Karastoyanova, Executive Director of NBT. According to her, until now the investments have been significantly smaller and this reflects on the competitiveness of our country.

InterContinental Sofia opens a new chapter for Luxury Travel to Bulgaria. The newest InterContinental in Europe joins Fine Hotels & Resorts only a year after its opening. Focusing on selected luxury travel agencies worldwide, the leading hotel in Bulgaria targets the affluent international traveler seeking for undiscovered destinations, curious to explore new cultures. The icon of international modern luxury in Sofia embodies the unique charisma of the destination, complemented by elegant design, modern facilities, beautiful art and uncompromised service.  InterContinental Sofia has recently launched its brand new Presidential Suite – one of a kind piece of art, unique for the Bulgarian market and highly appreciated by the experienced international travelers. The Presidential Suite occupies 268 sq. m. on the 7th floor of the hotel, offering breath-taking views to both St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Vitosha Mountain. It can be booked separately for a private stay or together with the two adjacent suites, making it an ideal place for a high-end visit. The Presidential Suite was created with a lot of passion to ensure a memorable experience even to the most pretentious travelers – the private office, the vinotech and whiskey bar with the best selection of spirits, and the spacious bathroom with stunning view to Vitosha Mountain are just a part of the many advantages of this impressive Suite. The living and dining rooms with sophisticated décor are the perfect location for an exclusive social event or an unforgettable dinner in a close circle. InterContinental Sofia is part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) – a leading company in the hotel industry with more than 400 000 employees working across 100 different countries. Currently, IHG® has 5603 operating hotels worldwide and 1859 in pipeline. The hotel is owned by Galaxy Investment Group and is a part of company’s portfolio of luxury hotels. 

Galaxy Investment Group was awarded for Investment, Development and Property Management in this year's annual "Company of the Year" Awards. The official award ceremony brought together nearly 200 business and government officials. The organizer of the event is the group of magazines Bulgaria Business Review and Business Lady. In the framework of the initiative 20 organizations in different sectors of the economy were awarded. The "Company of the Year" Awards are a continuation of the main purpose of the two media - to share successful business models, to be a tribune for various professional successes, personal qualities and achievements.      "First of all, I would like to thank for today's award to the organizers of the event the group of magazines Bulgaria Business Review and Business Lady, as well as the honourable jury. The recognition that the Galaxy Investment Group enjoys tonight is the result of the dozens of successful projects we have realized over the years. This award reflects the spirit and the high professionalism of each person of our entire team and it is also our responsibility to realize successful projects which create value for our company, our partners and the society as a whole," said Martin Dragoev, Director Investment and Sales at Galaxy Investment Group, during the ceremony. The "Company of the Year" awards are awarded for merit related to the development of human capital; continuous improvement of the quality of the offered product/service; efficiency and transparency; successful management; competitiveness and innovation; client approach; successful business model; efficient communications; know-how; good market positioning; sustainable development; corporate social responsibility. The selected categories this year are industry, construction and architecture, healthcare, banking, telecommunications, pharmacy, insurance, successful management, investment, FMCG, media and advertising.

Royal Garden Residential Park is located in the Recreation and Culture quarter, next to Mall Plovdiv and only at 10 minutes’ walk distance from the Rowing canal. The numerous amenities nearby, among them hypermarkets, kindergarten, schools, sport facilities, and restaurants, add to the modern and newly built infrastructure, while the pleasant and calm atmosphere is achieved by the surrounding excellently maintained park. Royal Garden includes two Г-shaped buildings situated to provide optimal inner space for a large garden in the internal area of the property. Each building has 7 residential floors and a ground floor where garages and service rooms are located. Each building has three entrances which access is through the garden. Royal Garden Residential Park has 118 apartments with different sizes and excellent floor-plans compliant with the latest trends. The rooms have regular structure suitable for a variety of interior solutions. The height of the rooms is 2.85m. Comfortable multi-bedroom apartments, which are rare product on the market could be found in Royal Garden. With the completion of the frame construction stage, 80% of the apartments have already been sold out. The construction design of the buildings is a frame type – girderless, with flat roofs, solid construction. The outer walls of the basement are made of water-tight concrete, 25 cm thick brickwork made of Wienerberger bricks. Effective heat insulating materials are used, as well as such having a reaction-to-fire class according to the respective degree of fire-resistance. The selected materials for the façade are of high energy efficiency, in light and calm tones, thus ensuring the buildings fit in the environment. The façade thermal insulation system is by the leader in the industry - Baumit, and the last two floors will be made of a ventilated facade with HPL, in earth tones by the leading Dutch company Trespa. In search of optimal illumination, loggia and bow-windows fit excellently. Six-chamber window frames with a constructive width of 80 mm of the high grade profile by Rehau Synego are selected. To reduce the energy used for heating the building, as well as the noise, triple glazing is selected with internal low-emission glass, argon gas between the chambers, and external 4-season glass. The façade has integrated elements that serve to hide outside air conditioners and create additional natural shade. Heating is provided by the thermal power plant, and for the hot water distribution a central system from the service station for each building will be built, as well as additional possibility for reserved supply with individual water heaters. The water meters for hot and cold water will be pulse-type devices with remote reading. For the underground garage a ventilation system and smoke and heat removal system will be provided through fans. Five power stations for electric vehicles have been designed. An optical connection and a video intercom system for access control will be built next to each apartment in the complex. In addition to the security measures in the complex a video surveillance of all common parts is provided. The selected electrical equipment is Legrand France. The interior of the common areas relies on clean and customized solutions. High quality materials suitable for heavy loads will be used for its completion. The high-class elevators by the world leader - Orona Spain will be used in the complex.   Basement level is reached through car ramp. It has 90 parking spaces and 21 garages, and access to the buildings is provided by an elevator and indoor links. On the ground floor there will be 36 single and double garages for a total of 56 cars with adjacent service rooms. The garage doors will be sectional with an automated remote control. Royal Garden Residential Park has a beautiful and extensive garden. The designed landscape, in addition to having decorative functions, allows for the cultivation of different types of plants. The emphasis in the garden are the designed single standing Japanese sour cherries. It is expected the project to be completed this autumn.

In the recent years the region of Plovdiv has undoubtedly turned into the industrial heart of Bulgaria. Big and small companies are looking for attractive assets in the area to establish their production or logistics activities. There is a demand for plots with easy transport access and existing infrastructure, which is necessary for the fast realization of the industrial projects of the investors. One of the most attractive projects in the region, located on the ring road of the city of Plovdiv, is Industrial Park Markovo, developed by Galaxy Investment Group. The infrastructure of the project is completed and the underground communications are fully functional. There is a rainwater sewage system for purified wastewaters,  an electrical conduit system of 20kV cables and a power substation. There is a street lighting and electricity that meets the requirements of the different industries. The access to each land plot in Industrial Park Markovo is by asphalt road. The total area of the park is 158,000 sq.m and offers different development opportunities according to the future investors’ needs – plot sale and development of industrial projects according to a specific assignments. 30% of the plots are already sold and the industrial investors have started the construction of their facilities. Industrial park Markovo is located on the Ring road of Plovdiv, 14 km from Trakia highway and 2 km from Plovdiv Customs. The intermodal terminal is in close proximity.

The newest five-star hotel InterContinental Sofia, which was officially opened in October is the winner in National competition „Building of the year” 2018 in category „Hotels and holiday complexes “. The award was presented by Vidin Boshnakov, Sales manager at Knauf.  Konstantin Boyadzhiev, CEO of Galaxy Investment Group, thanked to all who contributed to the project. To meet the latest trends in the industry and the high standards of the operator, the building has been completely renovated and a new wing has been built which provides additional 54 rooms. Now the hotel has a total of 194 spacious rooms and suites. The presidential suit is located on the top floor of the new wing, spread on 450 sq.m. InterContinental as 5 meeting rooms for events, all of them located on one floor. Experienced designers, consultants and specialists have taken part in the process of implementation of the project and have accepted the challenge to make the success of the project possible. A team of experts from the IHG office in London strictly controlled the process through regular visits and recommendations to ensure that the hotel product would be at the level of each InterContinental in Europe. National Contest “Building of the Year” is the most prestigious event in the field of investment activities, construction and architecture and distinguishes the best achievements for the past year. It is organized by THE CITY Media Group under the auspices of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works with the support of industry associations in the area of architecture and construction.