Slovakia wants to buy Polish ski lifts

Polish ski lift operator is preparing for selling. Privatization of the state-owned company Polskie Koleje Linowe (PKL) is scheduled for 2012, reports Polskie Radio. In turn, Tatra Mountains Resorts announced its plans to buy the operator. This company is located in Slovakia and manages the network of ski resorts in the High Tatras.

Slovak company reported about its intention in November 2011. At the present time representatives of Tatra Mountains Resort are negotiating with the municipal authorities of the Polish resorts of Krynica Zdrój, Zavoja, and Kasprowy Wierzch and Gubalówka resorts near Zakopane.

Tatra Mountains Resorts is preparing to establish a consortium as part of preparations for a possible deal.

Tatra Mountains Resorts declares itself as a major investor in the ski infrastructure in the region of High and Low Tatras. The company manages leading winter resorts in Slovakia with more than 50km of tracks. In addition, the company manages a number of hotels in Slovakia, including Grandhotel Stary Smokovec in Stary Smokovec, Tri Studnicky and Grand Jasna in Jasna, Hotel FIS, Hotel Srdiecko and Holiday Village Tatralandia.

At the same time Zakopane resort city council is also interested in buying the Polish operator. For this purpose Zakopane plans to issue shares in order to get the resources to complete the transaction.

Currently state operator Polskie Koleje Linowe manages the lifts of such Polish resorts as Kasprowy Wierzch, GubaÅ‚ówka, Polenica and others. At the company’s disposal is a network of chairlifts and drag lifts and funicular, which delivers tourists to the attraction of the Krynica resort - the Park Mountain.

Anyway, the idea of turning the state-owned operator into the private one wasn’t popular throughout Poland. In particular, Gorale people living in the Polish areas adjacent to the Slovak border were against the idea of selling the network.

In 2010 the company’s net profit was amounted to 10 million zloty.