YIT, Holiday Club and the City of Jämsä develop Himos

 YIT, Holiday Club and the City of Jämsä develop Himos

YIT, Holiday Club and the City of Jämsä have made a major agreement to partner up to develop the Himos Leisure Centre. The aim of this cooperation is to forge Himos into an even more attractive and international leisure centre that is open over more of the year.

The City of Jämsä and YIT Construction Ltd signed a letter of intent concerning a set of projects geared towards speeding up the development of Himos. The total scope of the project is about 38,000 m2 and it is valued at a total of around EUR 75 million.
YIT is responsible for design and construction in association with Holiday Club Finland Oy, which will operate the leisure centre upon its completion. The opening of the first stage of the centre is scheduled for December 6, 2008.

- We intend to build up and expand Himos, creating an international leisure centre that is open all year round and offers a wide range of authentic experiences, says Pentti Asunmaa, mayor of Jämsä.

The project builds on a Master Plan for tourism drafted as part of the programme of the Jämsä regional centre. Under the plan, a close-knit hub will be constructed at the foot of the slopes of Central Himos, seamlessly linking the slopes of Himos to a variety of tourist, event and leisure services. In the first stage, this leisure centre will house a Holiday Club spa hotel with restaurant facilities, and YIT leisure residences will be erected next to the hotel. In addition, a multi-purpose building maintained by Holiday Club and vacation homes will be built in the hub. A new 18-hole golf course is being planned and it will be located close-by.

- We have long sought a suitable site for a year-round leisure centre similar to Holiday Club Katinkulta and Holiday Club Åre that is conveniently located to ensure that even people from southern Finland won’t have to spend too much time getting there.
Himos is truly a suitable site to build a well-rounded leisure centre in the heart of Finland with a knowledgeable partner, says Vesa Tengman, CEO of Holiday Club.

YIT focuses on leisure

- This project combines our outlays on leisure and regional development projects. We are developing the leisure centre as the partner of the City of Jämsä, and we are on board from zoning onwards. Thanks to Holiday Club’s earlier experience in the construction and operation of similar sites, the project enjoys excellent opportunities. We are working in close cooperation with the players currently active in the area, such as the Hiihtokeskus Himosvuori ski centre and Himoslomat, says Marko Oinas, Director, Project Development, of YIT Construction Ltd.

Himos is Finland’s third most popular ski centre. It is located in the heart of southern Finland. Distances to the largest cities: Jyväskylä 55 km, Tampere 95 km, Lahti 115 km, Helsinki 220 km and Turku 250 km.

For additional information, contact:

Mayor Pentti Asunmaa, City of Jämsä, tel. +358 40 550 1805, pentti.asunmaa@jamsa.fi Director, Project Development, Marko Oinas, YIT Construction Ltd, tel. +358 40 506 7430, marko.oinas@yit.fi Deputy CEO Hannu Mäntyharju, Holiday Club Finland Oy, tel. +358 400 666 902, hannu.mantyharju@holidayclub.fi

 YIT CORPORATION



Veikko Myllyperkiö Vice President, Corporate Communications

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