Cableways Impact Assessment Study - Final Report - saferail.nl

Risk & Policy Analysts
Japan
The ski industry in Japan has experienced both boom and bust in recent times. Skiing
was popular in Japan in the 1980s and early 1990s and as a result more than 600
resorts were in operation. In 1993, at the peak of its popularity, there were 17.7
million skiers in Japan; however this number had dropped to 10.3 million by 2006.
As a result of the reduction of skier numbers and the maintenance of high numbers of
ski resorts (few resorts have been closed) there is significant over-capacity in the
industry and there has been little investment in infrastructure. Some resorts are now
beginning to attract foreign visitors (primarily from elsewhere in Asia and Australia)
and as a result some ski resorts are experiencing increased visitor numbers.
Overall, within the global ski industry the traditional markets/destinations are seeing
decreased visitor numbers and also a declining number of cableways. However, other
markets (particularly Eastern Europe and China) are seeing growth both in the number
of resorts being created and the number of cableways being installed. However,
currently these markets are not growing at a rate fast enough to replace the deficit in
the cableways market left by the decline in the number of cableways installed in the
traditional ski destinations such as the Alps.
Transportation – Urban and Tourist
In terms of the use of cableways in urban environments, the majority of cableways
installed in urban environments have been used for tourism purposes, such as, for
example, the gondola lift at Montjuic, Barcelona and the aerial tramway in Koblenz,
Germany. Moreover, cableways are also used as a means of transport in locations
such as airports and fairgrounds, ferrying people to and from car parks and other areas
that may be difficult to access by foot.
Cableways are also increasingly being used as a means of public transport in urban
environments which presents significant potential for cableways manufacturers to
expand their market. It is estimated that currently the installation of cableways not
related to the ski industry account for 20% of Poma’s business (Capital, 2012),
suggesting that urban installations are becoming an important source of income for
the cableways industry. Figure 2.3 illustrates the increase in the number of urban
public transport installations in recent years.
Page 13