Costs, Habits and Conditions: State of Ski for the Upcoming Season, the annual ski study from luxury travel company and top ski operator Club Med, has been released. Winter sports vacations for Britons have once again changed as the country continues to struggle with rising inflation expenses and climate change. While long-distance and far-flung places continue to be on travelers’ wish lists, evidence suggests that Europe is leading the way for the ski season this year, albeit with some new trends emerging for the upcoming season.
Booking Practices
While most skiers have a strong desire to hit the slopes again in 2023–2024, it’s crucial to take into account how growing inflation is affecting traveler behavior. According to a study of 1,000 habitual skiers and snowboarders in the UK, many choose to make their reservations sooner in order to secure lower pricing. For the upcoming season, two out of every five people (43%) have already made travel arrangements for a winter sports vacation, and 43% of these claimed to have done so because of growing inflation. When compared to 2022, two thirds (67%) of travelers made their reservations nine months or more in advance of their trip date. Eighty-three percent of reservations for the forthcoming ski season are made six months in advance, a trend that Club Med has personally observed with its own clients.
Three in five (61%) skiers say they are more likely to book all-inclusive vacations because of growing inflation, while more than half of those surveyed (54%) say they are rethinking their normal kind of lodging due to cost of living. Nearly two out of five skiers (38%) who have already made travel arrangements choose the all-inclusive model as their preferred lodging choice for the next ski season.
When compared to this time last year, Club Med has witnessed a 10% rise in bookings year over year.
Budgets for the holidays this year should undoubtedly account for the cost of living crisis. The average cost of a ski vacation for those surveyed who have already made reservations is £1,580 per person (down £399 from 2022/23), indicating that many people are having to be more frugal with their expenditures. Although this is a little less than the average Club Med customer spend, which is currently £1,943 for the winter 2023–24 season, Club Med takes pride in their top-of-the-line, all-inclusive ski package, the price of which is fixed at the time of booking, protecting customers from increased costs brought on by inflation or currency fluctuations.
According to Club Med’s Managing Director for the UK, Ireland, and Nordic regions, Nicolas Bresch, “Demand for mountain vacations for the winter 2023/24 season was stronger than ever throughout September. The high number of Brits making early reservations and the amount choosing all-inclusive accommodations this year are hopeful signs that travelers are choosing to lock in their vacation costs before they increase throughout the season.
The popular school half-term week in February and late January see over 95% occupancy at the ski slopes of Val d’Isere and Tignes, according to Club Med’s research on when Brits want to travel for their winter sports vacation. This year, survey participants’ booking behaviors were consistent, with January emerging as the busiest month for those making travel plans for the next ski season. This is in contrast to last year’s statistics, which showed that December was the most popular month to make reservations. This could be an indication of waning trust in early snow conditions, which may have led seasoned skiers to postpone their trip in anticipation of further snowfall.
A snow guarantee would increase the likelihood that 81% of people would book a vacation with the operator. If more than 50% of the ski domain is closed for two or more consecutive days within five days of departure, skiers will be relocated to an alternative resort or given a credit note for the full value of their stay (exclusive of the cost of the flights, transfers, and extras) under Club Med’s industry-leading Snow Guarantee.
Destinations
Previously, the preference for a resort or the urge to visit somewhere new were the main factors influencing frequent skiers when picking a resort or location. However, persistent socioeconomic problems are having a significant impact on where Brits are scheduling their winter sports vacations for the 2023–2024 season.
Switzerland (23%) continues to be the most popular ski destination, followed by France (20%), Austria (13%), Italy (8%) and Canada (7%), in terms of destinations. Bookings for Alpe d’Huez, Tignes, Val d’Isere, and Les Arcs Panorama in the French Alps, which are among the top five most booked resorts for the forthcoming season, are up 26% year over year, according to Club Med’s sales data.
Given that money is still a major concern many Brits, it should come as no surprise that nearly half of those polled said that value for money (or 45%) was the most crucial consideration when making a winter sports travel reservation. Once
Once more, Europe topped the list of ski resorts deemed to offer the best value, with France (37%) taking the lead.
Along with the price, snow conditions and the lingering memory of a disappointing early season last year are also influencing where people plan their winter sports vacation. Given the snow conditions from the previous winter, more over half of those surveyed (55%) are rethinking where they will go for winter activities. This is evident from the resorts already reserved for the upcoming season and the fact that Club Med enjoys the benefits of several high-altitude locations that are more likely to have snowfall, including nine resorts over 1800 meters in the Alps.
Sustainability
The events that were taking place on the continent at the start of the 2022–2023 season could not be avoided, skier or not. In December and January, images of the Alps made headlines around Europe, with several lower-altitude resorts facing operational challenges due to a lack of snowfall and rising temperatures. The erratic snowfall of the previous year served as the inspiration for Club Med’s updated and thorough Snow Gurantee, which is now a part of all winter sports reservations.
Perhaps it is not surprising that 60% of respondents check the sustainability credentials of their travel operator before making a reservation given the ongoing severity of the climate situation. This number has gone up from 54% just two years ago, illustrating the importance of sustainability for clients and how it is becoming a crucial consideration when choosing a vacation.
While flying continues to be the most popular means of travel for going to winter sports locations (69%), almost a quarter (24%) are now choosing to drive and 17% are taking the train. The possibility of taking the train has increased by approximately 100% year over year, in part because of the Snow Train’s reinstatement, which now travels to important locations in the French Alps via a changeover in Lille.
Source- Travel daily