Grand Baikal co files bid to become 1st resident of SEZ

IRKUTSK, December 22 (Itar-Tass) - The Grand Baikal Company (GBC), the
owner of the ski resort Gora Sobolinaya (Mount Sable), has filed a bid to
become the first resident of the Baikal Gate special economic zone (SEZ)
of tourist and recreational type near the city of Baikalsk.
An official at the GBC management office has told Itar-Tass, "We are
prepared to become the first resident of the ski resort. We already have
available a five-year programme for the development of the ski resort,
with investments to amount to about 1,000 million roubles".
First of all, the programme envisages the construction of a
1,250-metre cableway, a rodelbahn, a children's center, as well as an
extended network of cafes and bistros, a comprehensive development of the
territory and acquisition of specialized machinery -- ratracks,
snowmobiles, and quadrocycles.
The second-phase goals are to build a hotel in the ski resort grounds
for 60 rooms with a restaurant and a spa saloon, a high-speed cableway
almost two kilometres long, and enlarge the cottage compound Rus.
The ski resort Gora Sobolinaya offers eleven skiing routes with an
aggregate length of over 15 km for tourists. They can also stay at three
hotels and make good use of an indoor sports complex.
In September this year, by a decision of the government of the Russian
Federation, the Baikal Gate SEZ was enlarged resultant of land allotments
added to it in the Slyudyansk District of Irkutsk Region, where Baikalsk
is situated. It is planned that land plots located near the existing Gora
Sobolinaya ski resort with an area of about 500 hectares, will be the
first to undergo development. Water and heat supply lines, a power
transmission line will be built there and a motor road will be widened
resultant of Federal resources.
The choice of Baikalsk, which is situated on the southern shore of
fresh-water Lake Baikal, is favoured by the combination of scenic beauty,
climatic, and infrastructure components. The area affords excellent
mountain slopes, is notable for a mild winter, and there is a lot of snow.
On the other hand, the city is located near the TransSib railway and the
Baikal motor road. The distance from there to Irkutsk, which has an
international airport, is 150 km.