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The COVID-19 alert level restrictions have contributed to a challenging winter season for Mt Ruapehu, like many other tourism businesses across the country.
“Climate change and volcano operation present challenges every year, yet COVID-19 has made things even more difficult,” says Murray Gribben, President of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.
“Adapting our processes and procedures to operate in the new COVID-19 environment has required our teams and guests to be patient and flexible, for which we are very grateful.
“We remind ourselves every day that we are extremely fortunate to be able to operate under COVID-19 Alert Levels 1 and 2, which is something the board, management and staff do not take for granted.”
Murray says RAL’s COVID-19-impacted financial forecasts weren’t strong, but the good news is that bank financing has been secured through November 2021, ensuring that the 2020/21 summer season and winter season 2021 can continue.
“This is great news, especially with summer on our doorstep and the Sky Waka gondola being a major tourist attraction and source of income throughout the year, not just in winter. It means we can now say with certainty that Sky Waka will be open during the summer season. “
RAL CEO Jono Dean says it has been a challenging time for the RAL team who have worked hard to deliver a ski season, while at the same time facing uncertainty with their own jobs and concerns about COVID-19. and their own health and that of their families.
“It is fantastic that we have been able to offer so many Kiwis the opportunity to get out into the great outdoors, into the snow and COVID blues dust. We are hopeful to move to Alert Level 1 soon so that even more people can enjoy the last 6 weeks of snow. “
It has been a 2020 ski season like no other. COVID-19 aside, the beginning of this season saw warm weather, limited ability to make snow, and minimal natural snowfall.
This meant the experience was limited and only since August has Mt Ruapehu been able to offer top-down skiing and riding in both ski areas.
Since the beginning of July, more than 215,000 manuhiri (guests) have been received in the maunga. “Our number of guests is ahead of where we were during the same period in 2019 with one month less of operations. The key factor driving this increase compared to 2019 has been the number of visitors at Sky Waka,” says Murray.
“These tourism numbers have doubled over the same period in 2019. This growth is significant for RAL and our region, especially with the limited supply of snow at the beginning of this season.”
Murray says there are still tough times ahead, but RAL is committed to continuing to operate and upgrade its facilities.
“The capital structure of the RAL company is unusual. We are a limited liability company, but with shareholders who cannot receive any benefit other than the reinvestment of RAL profits in the ski slopes.
“In more recent times, those earnings have simply not been enough to adequately reinvest in our lift infrastructure – although we have made good progress at Whakapapa, we are far behind in TÅ« roa and we need both ski slopes to be level higher.
“We are initiating a review process of our sources of capital. We expect there will be changes, but we enter this review with the expectation that both fields will continue to operate.”
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