08-07-2005, 10:45 AM
Pioneer
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ford plans Himalayan ski village </b> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Bhagyashree Pande/ New Delhi
The Himalayan Ski Village Pvt Ltd, the ski resort venture promoted by Alfred Ford, Chairman,of the Ford Motor company fund, has signed <b>an memorandum of understanding with Government of Himachal Pradesh to develop a ski village</b>.
The company is building a ski village to promote international tourism and also develop commerce of local village produce. <b>This ski resort which will be located 10,000 sq feet above the main Kullu valley, will be a new hill station with modern recreation facilities like ski sports, trekking, ropeways etc. With an investment of around $500 mn over a period of ten years the company plans to develop a pedestrian ski resort and invest in developing 6-7 villages around the resort</b>.
"Our company is planning to build and develop local community and protect environment for which it is setting up a department of sustainable practices. The ski resort is going to offer a venue that respects the environment in which it is situated so that the tourist can connect with the environment with reverence. This is the spirit with which we touch re-creation" says John Robert Simms, Managing Director, Himalayan Ski Village Pvt Ltd.
The company at present plans to develop around 100 acres of area in Himachal Pradesh for the ski resort. " We are also planning to set up ski villages in Uttaranchal and Kashmir, the talks for which are in preliminary stage with the respective state governments", adds Simms.
The company plans to develop the ski pedestrian resort along with the surrounding villages so that the tourist can get the experience of nature and the local habitat. "We feel that of the tourist that come to the ski village roughly around 15 per cent will be skiers and be interested in adventure sports the rest will want to experience the environment and the surroundings" adds Simms .
"We are planning to create more than 600 five star hotel rooms with the aim of making this as a venue to host Winter Olympics Games" says Simms.
The company also plans to use basic Himalayan architecture and culture as the basis of all designs. It also plans to build handicrafts market on the lines of "Dilli Haat" offering direct business opportunities to local villagers. The company also aims to create awareness of Himachal's architecture and culture to the foreign tourists so as to bring it at par with Rajasthan and Kerela.
"There is a large unsatiated appetite in India for tourism and we feel that tourism is on top of the feeding chain. We are excited to be in India as the country is a renassiance for tourism , especially when most of the US and European destinations are nowless in demand", says John Simms.
<b>"Alfred and I believe that Indian village is a microcosm of the entire universe and that it will want the tourists to experience this microcosm",</b> says Simms.
The company plans to develop village based small scale industries and will promote produce like quality cheeses, apple products, local wines, weaves and other local made items that can be developed by guidance and support that it will provide. "The idea is to eventually label, catalogue products so that they can be exported" says Simms .
The company while luring tourist to the Himalayan abode will also support development of 6-8 villages by forming a trust and donating money for faster development of health, economic development and education of local village.Â
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ford plans Himalayan ski village </b> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Bhagyashree Pande/ New Delhi
The Himalayan Ski Village Pvt Ltd, the ski resort venture promoted by Alfred Ford, Chairman,of the Ford Motor company fund, has signed <b>an memorandum of understanding with Government of Himachal Pradesh to develop a ski village</b>.
The company is building a ski village to promote international tourism and also develop commerce of local village produce. <b>This ski resort which will be located 10,000 sq feet above the main Kullu valley, will be a new hill station with modern recreation facilities like ski sports, trekking, ropeways etc. With an investment of around $500 mn over a period of ten years the company plans to develop a pedestrian ski resort and invest in developing 6-7 villages around the resort</b>.
"Our company is planning to build and develop local community and protect environment for which it is setting up a department of sustainable practices. The ski resort is going to offer a venue that respects the environment in which it is situated so that the tourist can connect with the environment with reverence. This is the spirit with which we touch re-creation" says John Robert Simms, Managing Director, Himalayan Ski Village Pvt Ltd.
The company at present plans to develop around 100 acres of area in Himachal Pradesh for the ski resort. " We are also planning to set up ski villages in Uttaranchal and Kashmir, the talks for which are in preliminary stage with the respective state governments", adds Simms.
The company plans to develop the ski pedestrian resort along with the surrounding villages so that the tourist can get the experience of nature and the local habitat. "We feel that of the tourist that come to the ski village roughly around 15 per cent will be skiers and be interested in adventure sports the rest will want to experience the environment and the surroundings" adds Simms .
"We are planning to create more than 600 five star hotel rooms with the aim of making this as a venue to host Winter Olympics Games" says Simms.
The company also plans to use basic Himalayan architecture and culture as the basis of all designs. It also plans to build handicrafts market on the lines of "Dilli Haat" offering direct business opportunities to local villagers. The company also aims to create awareness of Himachal's architecture and culture to the foreign tourists so as to bring it at par with Rajasthan and Kerela.
"There is a large unsatiated appetite in India for tourism and we feel that tourism is on top of the feeding chain. We are excited to be in India as the country is a renassiance for tourism , especially when most of the US and European destinations are nowless in demand", says John Simms.
<b>"Alfred and I believe that Indian village is a microcosm of the entire universe and that it will want the tourists to experience this microcosm",</b> says Simms.
The company plans to develop village based small scale industries and will promote produce like quality cheeses, apple products, local wines, weaves and other local made items that can be developed by guidance and support that it will provide. "The idea is to eventually label, catalogue products so that they can be exported" says Simms .
The company while luring tourist to the Himalayan abode will also support development of 6-8 villages by forming a trust and donating money for faster development of health, economic development and education of local village.Â
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