For ski holiday information about Andorra visit YourAndorra.com The ski holiday guide includes an Andorra map, a weather forecast and snow report, Andorra skiing information and for the ski resorts hotel reviews.
The small independendent country of Andorra has impressively built her reputation over the last twenty years as a country with quality ski resorts, and has been successful to the extent that a country with a population of 70,000 has attracted ten million tourists a year.
Andorra has spent millions of Euros upgrading her ski facilities, and millions more improving her infrastructure to cope with the extra tourists, with new luxury hotels opening in recent years in ski resorts such as Soldeu.
But the one thing that ski resort needs, Andorra failed to provide at the peak of the season, mid December to mid March. Snow!
In response the Andorra tourist authorities turned to snow cannons providing a good cover of snow, and in the process nearly emptied the lakes, but for many skiers the artificial snow isn't the same as the naturally falling snow.
The result was conflicting claims from the authorities who claimed a ten to fifteen per cent drop in ski holiday tourists, while some local businesses were saying it was closer to forty per cent. Whichever figure it is is bad news for a country that has invested heavily in the ski holiday market, and who has an economy relying on good tourist numbers.
The tourists who did arrive in Andorra were those brave enough to book a ski holiday in advance of the ski season starting, but based on the last twenty years they had no reason to doubt that Andorra's ski resorts would have good levels of snow.
For those who didn't mind skiing on artificial snow the runs were bliss, with few people on the slopes compared to the normal number during what is normally peak season.
As well as being a top European ski destination, Andorra is a tax haven with no income tax.
Buying a property in Andorra is often seen as a route to residency, which entitles people to live in Andorra and benefit from her tax haven status.
To obtain residency in Andorra, applications need to be submitted in Catalan. A notarised copy of the applicants passport, birth certificate and a certificate of good conduct from the home country are submitted at the same time. According to a local travel guide residency normally takes between three and six months to be approved.
Once residency is granted, residents are supposed to spend six months a year in Andorra, but this isn't policed.
One of the drawbacks for those looking to become a resident in a tax haven when considering Andorra has been that the country has no airport of its own, and is unlikely to have ine future given that it is located in the Pyrenees. The nearest airports are Barcelona and Toulouse.
Recent improvements in the road from Barcelona to Andorra though have cut the travelling time by some thirty minutes to two hours fifteen minutes.
'Given the tax advantages Andorra has', note one Andorra travel guide, 'A two and a quarter hour trip to the nearest international airport could be viewed as a small price to pay for those who will be saving substantial amounts of money in tax. Especially when you consider that their properties could be rising in value quite significantly in the years to come, and for those who like skiing it's a holiday and tax paradise in one.'
Andorra awaits the new ski season with baited breath.
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
- Skiing in Andorra
- Snow Problems For Andorra Ski Holidays
- New Cash for 2008 Andorra Ski Holidays
- New Airport Boost For Andorra Ski Holidays And Property
- New Airport Boost for Andorra
- Andorra Skiing, Fantastic Choice for Intermediate and Beginner Skiers
- Andorra Ski Holidays Family Friendly For 2007/8 Season
- No Snow Drops Andorra Tourist And Property Numbers




RE BRANDING OF TANZANIA
By: richard Griffiths | 29/11/2009Country re-branding expert Richard Griffiths focuses on Tanzania, as the new face of Africa African nation set to be leader in tourism due to its strong commitment to conservation and its stable government stated Country branding expert Richard Griffiths
Highlighting Tips For Your Honeymoon
By: Max Hyndk | 29/11/2009It would be a plus for would-be brides and grooms to perform all the wedding and honeymoon arrangements at once to avoid any hassling after the big day. Celebrate the engagement by working towards making that special day a big success in everything. The preparations for even the simplest of...
A Honeymoon in Bermuda - Newly-weds Destinations
By: John Jamli | 29/11/2009The newly weds can never be wrong by deciding on spending their honeymoon in Bermuda, an elegant and sophisticated island that is recognized globally for other commercial markets as well. Even as it is as small as twenty-one miles long and one wide, Bermuda is still the leading preference of...
A Honeymoon in the Caribbean - Ideal For All
By: Steven Suejkd | 29/11/2009There is absolutely no better place for a newly wedded couple to celebrate their beginnings together than where they could explore seven thousand islands if they can afford in the Caribbean. Attractive beaches with white sands, green vegetation and the everlasting blue waters shelter each of those islands. It is...
Helpful Honeymoon Tips and Ideas to Practice
By: Jason Benjdi | 29/11/2009Searching for valuable honeymoon tips and ideas is one of the best tasks that aspiring brides and grooms should do to celebrate their engagements and also because they wont be sorry when the time to depart alone and together to a destination of choice comes. Since they would soon become...
Cheap hotels for the budget travellers:
By: chandan kumar | 29/11/2009Cheap hotels for the budget travellers are to be found through proper research. They are present in every nook and corner in the world.
Vacation in one of the best of Houston Cheap Hotels:
By: chandan kumar | 29/11/2009In today's time and age, all of us are busy and lead stress filled lives. Saving money is important, especially in these times of recession.
You and Your Travel Destination:
By: chandan kumar | 29/11/2009Houston’s cheap hotels thrive throughout the year on tourists and visitors who visit Houston, which boasts of being the largest city of the state of Texas
Million Reasons For A Lanzarote Vacation
By: Roger Munns | 14/10/2008 | DestinationsA sign of a good holiday destination is one that can increase the number of visitors it attracts during a recession, attracting new tourists and returning ones. Lanzarote's done just that - and could top a million visitors this year.
Environmentally Friendly Flights Offered
By: Roger Munns | 12/10/2008 | EnvironmentDue to the emission worries caused by the airline industry, many flight companies are offering to offset their CO2 emissions. Many of these concerned companies offer this as an option when purchasing tickets.
Majorca And All That Jazz
By: Roger Munns | 10/10/2008 | MusicCheap flights, a sunshine holiday, and ten months of jazz music. There's never been a better time for jazz fans to visit Majorca.
Airline Industry Suffers In Economic Slow Down
By: Roger Munns | 09/10/2008 | FlightsThe rising fuel prices have affected the majority of airplane manufacturers worldwide. Some of the largest airplane manufacturing companies are showing significant drops from once record sales.
Fernando Alonso: 2008 Singapore Grand Prix Champion
By: Roger Munns | 05/10/2008 | Sports & FitnessAt 27 years old, Spanish race car driver Fernando Alonso captured the first race in the inaugural Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. This was Alonso's first win of the current season and his 50th overall since he started racing professionally.
Most Expensive Street In The World
By: Roger Munns | 05/10/2008 | Real EstateThe most expensive street in the world for buying a residential property has just been announced. It's not Fifth Avenue, it's not even in the US...
Tenerife Spends To Gain Tourists
By: Roger Munns | 04/10/2008 | TravelTimes are hard for tourist resorts in Europe as holiday spending is cut back - Tenerife is investing to get the tourists to the island.