| If ever there was an industry that needed | | | | olds to one that caters well for all. The |
| global warming not to be true, it has to be | | | | snow park includes a conveyor belt and a game |
| the ski industry. No snow, no skiing, and the | | | | zone, designed to give children confidence |
| skiing industry would belong to a sporting | | | | before they ski and use the chair lifts. |
| museum. | | | | |
| | | | While the snow would often start in early |
| So perhaps it comes as no surprise that one | | | | November before this ski season, disastrously |
| European country which relies on the ski | | | | no sustained snow periods arrived until March |
| industry trade more than most others has | | | | this year. No official figures have been |
| decided to ditch traditional print brochures | | | | released yet as to how many tourists visited |
| for the internet only. | | | | this year, but some officials are reported to |
| | | | be guessing at a year on year fall of ten per |
| Andorra is a small country with borders that | | | | cent, and some are blaming it on |
| meet both France and Spain, set in the | | | | environmental changes and global warming. |
| Pyrenees mountains. Andorra is best known for | | | | Private businesses suggest the figure could |
| two things - her status as a tax haven, and | | | | be closer to forty per cent. Given that |
| for attracting ten million tourists a year, | | | | private businesses see financial figures on a |
| mostly for skiing in her mountains. | | | | daily basis most people in the Andorra |
| | | | tourist industry are veering towards the |
| The Vallnord ski area which includes the well | | | | higher forty per cent figure rather than what |
| known resorts of Arinsal and Ordino decided | | | | could be an optimistic official estimate. |
| to stop producing traditional holiday | | | | |
| brochures as a sign of its commitment to the | | | | Despite good snow in mid March and full |
| environment, with the hope that visitors | | | | occupancy at Easter, it was decided not to |
| would find sufficient information on the | | | | prolong the agony of Andorra's worst tourist |
| internet, and book their ski holidays | | | | season for a generation, and the slopes were |
| on-line. | | | | closed at the end of the Easter holidays, |
| | | | some three weeks earlier than some previous |
| The decision to move from print media to new | | | | ski seasons. |
| technology to benefit the environment comes | | | | |
| at a risky time for Andorra's ski resorts. | | | | The good news for Andorra is that the scare |
| The 2006/7 season was not a good one with a | | | | of global warming might have been just that, |
| drop in tourists for the first time in recent | | | | as snow fell in Soldeu in late September, |
| years. This despite the fact that Andorra | | | | bringing hope that the 2008 season will be |
| opened a new family friendly ski park in | | | | good for natural snow - and the ski resorts |
| Arinsal, moving away from her old image of a | | | | can claim to have done their bit to help the |
| cheap and cheerful ski holiday for 18-30 year | | | | environment! |