Czech mountain resorts invest CZK 750 million ahead of winter season
Czech mountain resorts invested some 750 million crowns into their development this year, the Czech Association of Mountain Resorts said at a press conference on Wednesday. Originally, ski resort operators planned to invest a record one billion crowns, but some of the planned projects had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of past winter season, ski resorts invested around CZK 600 million into their operation.
A significant part of the investments went into technologies for creating artificial snow, says Libor Knot, director of the Czech Association of Mountain Resorts. The modern equipment is more effective, saving both water and energy.
An increasing number of ski resorts are also investing into the building of artificial water retention capacities.
Another major lump of investments was used for connecting existing ski slopes and for the improvement of online services, including the sale of ski passes.
Three new cable cars will open in Czech mountain resort this year, specifically in the ski centre in Říčky in Orlické hory, Kraličák in Kralický Sněžník and Mladé Buky in the Krkonoše Mountains.
This year, the state agency Czech Tourism plans to invest CZK 17 million to attract foreign tourists to Czech mountains.
The campaign will also focus on bringing tourists to Czech towns and spas during the pre-Christmas period. The campaign will be directed primarily on tourists from the neighbouring countries, but also from Denmark and the Netherlands.
According to the Czech Association of Mountain Resorts, last According to the Czech Association of Mountain Resorts, last winter season was the worst in the past six years. Czech ski resorts were affected by poor snow conditions and the season had to end prematurely due to the coronavirus outbreak, being cut short by 24 days.
The number of visitors to Czech mountain resorts during the summer has been steadily increasing over the past years by around five percent annually.
This summer, the number of visitors increased by 15 percent. Nevertheless, the season was also negatively affected by the Covid-19 measures.
