New Cash For 2008 Andorra Ski Holidays

A ustria, Switzerland and          lack of natural snow.              Andorra were among the                                             European ski countries last     The Andorra economy is unusually   year who saw a decline in ski         reliant on the ski holidays        holiday visitors, and Andorra has     industry, the other main activity  been investing in her facilities      being the financial and banking    to try and tempt the skiiers she      industry due to her tax haven      lost back for the 2008 season.        status, and the weather in                                               Andorra refused to play her part   In the past Andorra has grown in      last year. Some estimates suggest  stature from a destination            takings for supermarkets, petrol   offering cheap ski holidays to        stations, department stores and    one that can compete with the         supermarkets were down some 40     best that Europe has to offer,        per cent compared to 2006 in the   with a growing number of ski          main ski holiday areas.            holidays being taken in the                                              country over the last decade to       The good news for the Andorra ski  the point where it was attracting     holidays industry as it hopes for  some ten million tourists a year.     an improved 2008 holidays season                                         is that the snow - notably absent  But unexpectedly the rise in          last year - started to fall in     visitors to Andorra came to a         November, and long range weather   screeching halt for the 2006/7        forecasts suggest that January     ski season, and the ski slopes        through to April could see enough  closed two weeks earlier than         snow to give Andorra skiers good   anticipated due to a lack of snow     snow depth, and little if any      that saw many other resorts in        need for snow cannons to make up   Europe, especially in countries       any shortfall.                     with low lying slopes like                                               Austria, badly affected by the        But the tourist authorities are    determined not to be caught out       Arinsal.                           again, and continue with the                                             progress made in the last twenty      The ski areas of Andorra have      years that has seen Andorra rise      been praised by many in the        impressively from a cheap ski         industry for having the            holiday destination to one that       capability of producing enough     caters for the middle and             man made snow to cover over 40     upmarket price range with UK ski      per cent of the ski domain, but    holiday specialist companies like     investment has continued to        Crystal Ski offering a full range     further this already high amount   of holidays in Andorra.               by having for the 2008 ski                                               holiday season over a thousand     Private money as well as finance      snow cannons in place - although   from the banks in Andorra have        it is hoped they don't have to be  helped to upgrade Soldeu, a main      used much.                         Andorra ski holiday resort, to a                                         high class status with new hotels     'The aim of the Andorra tourist    and upgrades for existing ones.       authorities', comment local                                              travel guide YourAndorra.com, 'is  Andorra Weather                       to ensure that when skiiers                                              choose Andorra the resorts will    In total it is estimated that         do everything they can to make     nearly 200 million Euros has been     their holiday a memorable one for  invested in Andorra's on-mountain     all the right reasons - and to     ski facilities, and the figure        see them again in future years as  rises significantly when              they decide Andorra is a good      off-mountain spending is taken        skiing holiday destination.'       into account, such as the new                                            hotels in Andorra, notably in the     The upgrading of facilities and    top ski areas of Soldeu and           road infrastructure has also       increased interest from those         meeting their expectations for     looking for a European tax haven      the 2008 holiday season, and       and considering taking Andorra        importantly to meet the            residency.                            expectations of ski companies                                            like Thomson ski, Andorra will     Andorra is one of the most sought     have 450 ski instructors over      after tax havens in Europe with       seven different resorts, and to    no income tax for her residents,      maintain her family friendly       and is second in popularity only      atmosphere four creches.           to Monaco, but enjoys the same                                           tax benefits.                         All in all, Andorra will be able                                         to compete as one of Europe's top  One of the big differences            skiing destinations this year.     between the two is the cost of a                                         property. Real estate in Monaco                                          is among the highest in the world      that Andorra is capable of            align="center">                    About the Author: http://www.yourandorra.com offers an Andorra map for those considering skiing for the first time with the new ski Andorra facilities plus deals for winter holidays. Published At: www.Isnare.com