Slovakia is this winter’s hottest new ski destination for British skiers, combining both quality and value. Starting on 6th December Slovak airline Danube Wings are launching a new route from London Luton, Manchester and Dublin, direct to the heart of Slovakia’s Tatry Mountains at Poprad-Tatry. December also sees the opening one of the year's biggest ski contruction projects of 2009, the new 13 million euro, eight passenger Grand Brhliska gondola lift.

The flights will take skiers to within just 15 minutes’ drive of the ski slopes of Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains and around 50 minutes from the country’s biggest resort of Jasna in the Low Tatras.

Jasna is also the site of one of the largest ski construction projects this season, with the opening of the new 13 million euro, eight passenger Grand Brhliska gondola lift. The new lift rises from close to the Grand Hotel Jasna, 320 vertical metres from 1100m to 1420m and has a capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour, double that of the older four passenger lift it replaces. The new Grand Brhliska gondola will also be 328m longer than the old lift and is styled in striking orange and black livery, designed especially for the project by Doppelmayer.

Slovakia has a long heritage of attracting tourists from the neighbouring countries of Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and from its own domestic market but is a relatively unknown destination for British skiers. Hotels are predominantly 4* and date back to the Austro-Hungarian era and offer high standard accommodation, while prices are around a third lower than mainstream Europe.

For the first time this winter Slovakia features in the Inghams Ski & Snowboard programme.