In 2016, the Joint-Stock Company Northern Caucasus Resorts shall invest 1.6 billion rubles in Arkhyz ATRC infrastructure development. Oleg Gorchev, Director General NCR JCS, reported this fact at a working meeting with the Deputy Minister of Northern Caucasus Affairs of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of NCR JSC Andrey Reznikov. According to him, the private investors attracted shall actually invest in the site another third of the public investment, i.e. 517 million rubles, in a year.

When commenting on the investment plans of NCR JSC, the Deputy Minister of the Northern Caucasus Affairs of the Russian Federation said that the implementation of the Arkhyz ATRC project - a pilot site of the tourism cluster — has arrived at the stage of active investment, both by the State and private investors. ‘Creating a resort is a long and labour intensive process that, according to the European practice, takes decades. Therefore, the result achieved by the Northern Caucasus Resorts in Arkhyz in just three years is impressive. It is obvious that this successful experience is highly appreciated by the private investors as well: following the results of 2015, they declared their readiness to invest 3.1 billion rubles in the development thereof, and even in the beginning of 2016, the investment proposals for another 1.7 billion rubles were approved. I am convinced that a vital role belongs to the confidence of private investors in the continuity of a project and its importance for the country — as the development strategy of NCR JSC, agreed with the Russian Government, affects planning horizons until 2025 and even further’, Andrey Reznikov said.

Oleg Gorchev, Director General of NCR JSC, elaborated the investment plans of the company in the construction of infrastructure in 2016. ‘By the next winter season, we plan to build one more chairlift in Arkhyz and to equip a green slope, specially for ski beginners. Additional avalanche baffle and the landslide protection structures shall be arranged, bypassing of some most challenging areas of mountain slopes with the beams shall be carried out. A walking promenade between the tourist villages of Arkhyz shall be equipped, landscaping and renovation of the Service Center in the tourist village Romantik shall be completed, an access road and parking lot in the tourist village Lunnaya Polyana shall be prepared. Besides, throughout the year, designing of the strategically important facility - North-oriented slope - shall be continued, which after commissioning shall double the throughput of the resort and significantly extend the ski season’, Oleg Gorchev said.

The success of the resort, according to Oleg Gorchev, is confirmed by the tourist flow indices. ‘Following the results of the ski season 2015/2016, about 130 thousand people visited the all-season resort Arkhyz. 115 thousand visitors used the resort's ropeways — 30% more than in winter 2014/2015. Thus, during the season, the dynamics of visits set during the new year's holidays, when the growth of tourist arrivals was about 30-35% higher than in the same period last year, was preserved’, he said.

The Director General of the Company also added that the increase in tourist flow on Arkhyz is due to the growing interest for domestic tourism in Russia , on the one hand, and to the active development of infrastructure of the resort, on the other hand. ‘By this season, we have put into operation the ski infrastructure of the new tourist village of Lunnaya Polyana with a multi-function center, we have built Lunny Express ropeway and three slopes, we have opened an ice skating rink, we have performed the landscaping in Romantic tourist village. Taking into account the attention to the tourism component of the economy of the Northern Caucasus and extensive support of the project by the Ministry of Northern Caucasus Affaires of Russia and of other responsible agencies, we are glad that the Arkhyz resort is making a significant contribution to the tourism industry in the region’, Oleg Gorchev concluded.