Italy: €230 Million From The Ministry Of Tourism For Ski Lifts

Important help for the lift co sector and the Italian mountains comes from the Ministry of Tourism, which has allocated an additional 230 million euros for the lifts for 2024.

The measure is the result of the excellent relationship and fruitful collaboration that ANEF (Italian Cable Car Association) has established with the Ministry in the recent past, as well as the understanding of Minister Daniela Santanché and her team of the problems and needs of the cable car sector, the real engine of tourism and the mountain economy. The funds made available are intended not only to support operators in view of the ski season, but also to promote a necessary process of deseasonalisation to balance the balance sheets of tourist resorts and ensure that the mountains are lively even outside the high season.

"The Ministry of Tourism's measure is part of a broader, unprecedented strategy: no government has ever paid as much attention to tourism and the Italian mountains as we have, even foreseeing a special fund in the budget law," explained Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè. "Our support aims to manage a vital sector, both for the winter months and for deseasonalization, and it must advance through a process of renewal, promoted by resources that allow sustainable growth from an environmental, economic, social and cultural point of view."

The financing is intended to support measures for the renovation, modernisation and maintenance of cable car facilities and artificial snowmaking systems. Applications for access to the financing can be submitted from 24 June 2024 and each investment programme must include a minimum amount of 300,000 euros, while the maximum contribution for each individual beneficiary can be up to 10 million euros over several years.

These measures are particularly important for small operators, who often face difficulties in replacing or overhauling a cable car installation, while supporting the modernisation process of the increasingly important technical snow installations, which have made great strides in recent years in terms of efficiency and reduction of water and energy consumption, with a view to environmental sustainability.