Upgraded cable car and better slopes in the Tatras

Upgraded cable car and better slopes in the Tatras
Upgraded cable car and better slopes in the Tatras
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“Tatra resorts have come a long way. Every visitor and skier can see for himself that they have undergone a positive change and are meeting long-time expectations of their clients. We have modern mountain resorts in the Tatras that can compete even with medium large Alpine ones. Investments made in the cableway transport and infrastructure in Tatranská Lomnica within five years reached 33 million EUR,“ said Bohuš Hlavatý, CEO TMR.

An orange 6-seater chairlift from Tatranská Lomnica to the mid station Štart in 2010, a blue 8-seater chairlift on the slope Buková hora in 2011, or a new planned 15-person gondola cable car for the winter season of 2013/14 – these are ground-breaking investments when it comes to operating mountain resorts. Higher transport safety with the most modern cableway system and better wind resistance are reasons why the TMR company is planning a new cable car.

“Old cable cars that have been there since 1970´s are old and need to be replaced. We plan two renewal stages to replace the old 4-person cable car as a whole. A new 15-person gondola will enable operation on windy days, which are very frequent in the Tatras – there were 47 in the previous winter season. This will result in an increased transport capacity and higher comfort of the whole resort,“ said the director of the cableway department, Dušan Slavkovský.

According to the statistics of self-governing regions, TMR investments in resorts of the High Tatras have increased the turnout of the mountains as such. The number of guests staying in the High Tatras has doubled during the past 4 years. In 2012, the number was higher than 1.1 million. It is not only the positive change of transport quality but also active cooperation with the Regional tourism organisation – the Region of the High Tatras and individual towns or settlements that results in various successful activities in the Tatras. “Good home and foreign marketing, attractive hotel packages with discounts, a loyalty card, interesting events all year round and various attractions or services prove that people appreciate quality and are happy that the Tatras have come to life again. And they come back to us. Since 2010, the number of
clients coming to the resort of Tatranská Lomnica rose by 58%,“ informed the brand manager Juraj Chovaňák.

Terrain works on slopes of Buková hora and Skalnaté pleso at Tatranská Lomnica are planned to start in the last week before the summer holidays. Investments, constructions and renovations go hand in hand with temporary noise and disorder which can´t be avoided, unfortunately. After all construction works are finished, greenery and trees will be planted again, like in the past, and the vegetation of the terrain will be revitalised.”All terrain works we are doing must be approved within the so called EIA process, i.e. the impact on the environment must be considered and all following decisions of the state administration with all relevant bodies of nature protection represented must be respected,“ said the director of the investments department, Vladimír Čukan.

Skiers will be happy about new slopes in the next winter season already. The former and easier red slope “Esíčka“ from Skalnaté pleso to Čučoriedky will be renewed and a new easy slope “Bukova hora II“ with blue marking will be built. “Terrain works on slopes are adapted to our clientele, which has changed. Less skilful skiers have difficulties on steeper parts of red slopes. New blue slopes with the total length of approx. 2 km will change Tatranská Lomnica to a real family resort, which can offer ideal conditions for freeriders, common skiers or families with children, “said Čukan.

“TMR is a strong and attractive company when it comes to investments. It has revived tourism in the High and Low Tatras, made their resorts more attractive and has been contributing to the development of tourism continually. We believe that 44 million EUR we have already invested in cableways, artificial snow making, parking, accommodation facilities, shops, hotels and gastronomy at Tatranská Lomnica and other resorts indicate the improving quality of services and life in the region as such,“ concluded Hlavatý.

Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. is a top subject in the field of tourism in Central and Easter Europe, which itself or via subsidiaries owns and operates attractive ski resorts and hotels in the area of the Low and High Tatras. These include the resort Jasná Low Tatras and the following hotels: Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Tri studničky and Chalets Záhradky De Luxe. In the High Tatras, TMR owns and operates resorts Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec and the following hotels: Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec, Hotel Slovakia and hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso. TMR also co‐operates the resort Štrbské Pleso and since the winter season 2012/2013 it has been leasing the mountain resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic in cooperation with SMMR, a.s.. TMR owns Tatralandia, the largest Slovak aquapark with all-year operation, which offers a lot of water and other entertainment in the Fun Park relax or in a special tropical hall with sea water. It also offers accommodation in bungalows and suites of the Holiday Village Tatralandia. TMR also owns and rents hotels Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky and Bungalows. More than 144 million Euros were invested by the end of 2012 in the already mentioned resorts, which helps increase the standard and visitor turnout in the Tatras. The TMR shares have been traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague and Warsaw since 2012.