2007 Record Ski Resort Snowfall
Even though all around us there is concern that the earth is heating up and climate change is going to have a major impact upon the future, we are seeing some great skiing conditions across Europe and North America and Canada. All of the major ski resorts are predicting heavy snowfall and excellent conditions for what is now a very popular area of the winter tourism market.
Despite Serbia making major ski resort expansion plans with its Brezovica mountain resort due for a £31.6 million expansion, confirmation of record profitability in the alpine ski resorts of Switzerland and France coupled with continued interest in ski resort property investment, the Spanish authorities have recently rejected a plan for a new ski resort. Primarily they were concerned with the fact the resort was next to a nature reserve and in their opinion would not be financially viable. However, surprisingly they also suggested that future global warming would impact upon the venture (is this the first time global warming has impacted upon a commercial venture?).
While there are obvious concerns that global warming is having an impact upon the world’s weather and climates, the fact that record profits will be announced by many resorts for the 2007-08 season bodes very well for the future. Interest in ski apartments in emerging winter resorts such as Bulgaria’s Pamprovo and Slovakias Tatras Mountains never been greater and while traditional areas such as the French resorts still register on buyers wishlists, more and more European skiers seem to be sampling the delights of Switzerland. There has also been increased interest in areas such as Austria, Italy and Germany although Bulgaria is a name which appears to attracting the most attention.
Property investment at some of the more established resorts can be expensive and difficult to find, due to local property restrictions and growing demand, but areas such as Bulgaria and Serbia still offer good value for money. These are markets which have not experienced the growth in interest seen in France, Switzerland and Austria, although the reporting of record profits from resort owners will bring the potential for this sector into the limelight.
