By Lee Hyo-sik
Daemyung Vivaldi Park and other ski resorts across the country have just opened its slopes to skiers and snowboarders who have been waiting the whole year to feel the rush while sliding down the mountain.
With the number of visitors hovering around 6.5 million over the past few years, ski resort operators have prepared promotional events to claim a larger slice of the pie in this increasingly saturated leisure sector.
Over the years, 19 local ski resorts have been challenged to overcome ``exaggerated’’ publicity of risks associated with the popular winter sport.
``Skiing is the safest leisure activity developed by mankind,’’ said Cho Hyun-chul, chairman of the Korea Ski Resort Business Association. ``Compared with cycling and other leisure activities, skiing and snowboarding are much safer. It is just unfortunate that the public sees this fabulous winter sport as extremely dangerous. It is not true.’’
Cho said if skiers and snowboards wear helmets and abide by simple safety rules, they can slide down on mountain slopes safe and sound. ``Ski resorts will introduce a safety campaign and offer a wide array of promotional deals to attract visitors. We really hope at least 7 million vacationers come and enjoy this fun winter activity during the 2011-2012 season.
The country’s largest ski resort, which attracted 840,000 visitors during the 2010-2011 season, has expanded slopes and added new facilities over the past year to provide skiers and snowboarders with more convenient and higher quality leisure services.
Opened on Nov. 25, Ski World has purchased five new snowmakers and installed more ticket booths as well as rental shops. It has also begun running a ski and snowboard training center for beginners.
``On top of these, we expanded our food court area to accommodate up to 1,000 customers at a time. We also increased the number of free shuttle routes to 19 to offer visitors more convenient transportation,’’ a Daemyung Vivaldi Park spokesman said.
He said the resort will introduce a wide range of promotional events among which visitors can buy lift tickets for up to 50-percent discounted prices in December. ``Next month, we will offer a number of special deals to students and holders of certain credit cards on designated dates. To further entertain our guests, we will hold a music concert on Dec. 10 to celebrate the opening of Ski World.’’
For more information, visit www.vivaldipark.com.
Yongpyeong Resort and Phoneix Park, both in Gangwon Province, opened on Nov. 16. On Nov. 23, nearby High 1 Resort began serving ski and snowboard maniacs. Muju Resort, a ski destination in North Jeolla Province, opened on Nov. 26.
Like Ski World, these resorts have upgraded existing facilities or added new features to draw more winter sports fans, while offering diverse promotional events to attract cost-conscious young skiers and snowboarders.