Naira Badalian
ArmInfo. About 30 billion drams will be invested in the construction of a new ski resort in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia. The draft investment program of the Myler Mountain Resort company was approved on July 29 at a meeting of the Armenian government.
According to the acting Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan, presenting the draft decision, the ski complex is planned to be built near Aparan, on an area of about 2080 hectares, at an altitude of about two thousand meters. Within the framework of the program, it is planned to build places for entertainment and fun time, in particular, a casino will function on the territory of the resort (investments in the creation of the resort will amount to $ 7 million).
According to Kerobyan, Myler Mountain Resort intends to invest 15 billion drams in the construction of the cable car and ski track, the rest will be invested in the construction of the hotel sector by private companies.
During the implementation of the investment program – within 2 years, about 250 jobs will be created, and after the start of the program – about 1,500 permanent workers with an average salary of 180 thousand drams.
Investors plan to compete not only with other Armenian ski resorts, but also to be regionally competitive, attracting tourists from the Russian Federation, EU, Iran and serving 500 thousand tourists annually. “The program will increase Armenia’s GDP by 0.2% annually – taxes in the amount of 1.2 billion drams will be paid to the state budget, and not only during construction, but also during its operation,” the acting Head of the Ministry of Economy said.
As for the pricing policy, according to the government, the prices for the “cable car” should be reduced taking into account the growth of competition. For example, the background statement of the document says that the daily subscription for the “cable car” in Tsaghkadzor is 12 thousand drams (about $ 25), while in the mountain resorts of Georgia – 40 lari (about $ 15).