Starting next season, the Grandvalira brand will integrate the entire range of ski slopes in Andorra, achieving a historic milestone. The integration of the Pal Arinsal resort into Grandvalira Resorts from the 2022-2023 season. This alliance unifies the offer of Andorra as a country of snow and leisure activities in the mountains 365 days a year, adding a total of 303 km of slopes for the practice of winter sports and placing it among the first European destinations in terms of offer of skiable surface. In this way, all Grandvalira resort passes (including the season pass) will be valid both at Pal Arinsal and at Ordino Arcalís, which became part of Grandvalira Resorts in 2018.
The incorporation of the Masanense station in Grandvalira Resorts will bring about very beneficial changes for skiers. Thus, multi-day passes will be marketed that will combine days of skiing in Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalís with days in Grandvalira.
For the chairman of the Grandvalira board of directors, Francesc Camp, the agreement establishes “the foundations for the future of snow in Andorra. An increasingly competitive sector at an international level that, after the pandemic, has become even more aggressive.” Camp explained that "many ski areas throughout Europe, and in particular in France and Spain, are investing heavily in renovating their facilities to be more and more attractive". In this way, Andorra is committed to strengthening its presence in the world of snow with the materialization of a country project that has been pursued for years.
Xavier Cornella, Executive Director and General Manager of Crèdit Andorrà, is convinced that "this agreement will help promote the development of the snow sector and mountain leisure activities throughout the year, and will allow us to be stronger in the time to face the challenges in the field of sustainability and climate change. However, it will strengthen the country's economy."
In the words of the CEO of Saetde, Joan Viladomat, "the agreement culminates an effort to integrate the companies that manage the country's ski areas that began in 2003 with the creation of NEVASA and continued in 2018 with the integration of Ordino Arcalís in Grandvalira, thus creating Grandvalira Resorts, which is now joined by the Massanense station”. In this sense, the Consul Mayor of the Commune of Ordino, Àngel Mortés, has recognized that "the integration of Ordino Arcalís in 2018 has been a turning point so that we can be here today".
The Grandvalira season pass will be the new country pass that will give access to all the resorts in Andorra, which means a total of 303 kilometers of slopes in winter to practice snow sports, but also to enjoy the mountains 365 days a year with access to the Pal Arinsal Mountain Park and Bike Park. These facilities represent “a deseasonalization strategy that started years ago in Pal Arinsal with the promotion of the practice of BTT and being the station that starts the summer season. We are convinced that with this agreement it will take a new impulse”, assured the Senior Consul of the Community of La Massana, Olga Molné.
For her part, the Senior Consul of the Encamp Community, Laura Mas, was satisfied that it had been carried out “with consensus and with a broad vision of the country, so that Andorra continues to be a benchmark in the world of skiing in the international arena. ” and added that “I am especially happy that the public-private management model is the chosen formula, from now on, to continue growing together as a country”.
The presentation ceremony of the agreement was attended by the President of the Government of Andorra, Xavier Espot, who highlighted that “it is one of the best news that we have had in recent times at a tourism and country level. That from now on all the operating companies of the snowfields have a joint and national strategy greatly reinforces the position of Andorra as a snow destination”.
Grandvalira Resorts will define in the coming weeks everything related to product, price and brand. Pal Arinsal customers will be integrated into My Grandski, the loyalty club that simplifies access and consultation that users want to carry out on the ski resort platforms, and where multiple actions related to skier activity can be carried out, such as access Wi-Fi, buy online, record the tracks of your skiing, receive information or register for the newsletter, among others. In addition, Pal Arinsal will take advantage of the synergies with Grandvalira Resorts to improve technological, marketing and communication aspects and its sales channels.
