The tourist flow to All-Season Tourist and Recreational Resort Arkhyz, developed by Northern Caucasus Resorts, following the results of 2016/2017 ski season, which ended this weekend, exceeded 170 thousand visitors. The trend of steady growth in the number of visitors to the resort continued: while in 2014/2015 season the tourist flow to Arkhyz grew by 25% compared to the first test season of operation, and in 2015/2016 season — by 30% compared to the previous year, and in the ski season that already ended, the growth was already 47%.
‘In the first ski season, Arkhyz, a completely new point on the tourist map of Russia, was visited by 30 thousand people. In view of the fact that now the figure is more than 170 thousand tourists, we have almost a sixfold increase in the number of visitors per season. And that is just the statistics for tourists using ropeways, excluding visitors who come just to relax and walk around the resort’, Maxim Guba, Deputy General Director for Operations, JSC NCR, said.
He also said that more than 65% of Arkhyz visitors last winter were tourists who had already been there before. ‘This suggests that Arkhyz ATRC has already formed its regular customer, while attracting new visitors as well — gradually, in parallel with the increasing capacity of ski infrastructure. And that means, taking into account the plans of JSC NCR on development of the resort, we can predict growth of tourist flow in the next season,’ company spokesman concluded.
After the season is over, ropeways will be closed for scheduled maintenance work, whereupon the individual infrastructure will work in the spring-summer mode.
Besides, in spring, JSC NCR is to start construction of ropeway and ski area for beginners in the tourist village of Lunnaya Polyana. It shall be open for tourists in the next ski season already. The construction of infrastructure in the North-oriented slope in Romantic tourist village to be launched by 2018/2019 season.
At the site of the resort, accommodation facilities are also to be erected by residents of the SEZ. By 2017/2018 ski season, about 880 beds in hotels located in direct proximity of the pistes and lifts shall open. The total number of beds by the beginning of the next ski season will be 1300.