WINTER SPORTS RETURN TO THE SLOPES

AFTER TWO YEARS OF TURMOIL, SKIING IS BACK IN BUSINESS, WITH TRAVEL COMPANIES REPORTING SALES AT PRE-COVID LEVELS AND AN AVALANCHE OF EARLY BOOKINGS FOR A BUSY SEASON.

- NICK DALTON

WHAT'S THE STATE OF PLAY?

Although there are many factors that can still affect the skiing industry, the season looks bright, according to Simon McIntyre, general manager – ski at Iglu, Britain’s largest independent ski travel agency. In the six weeks to mid-July, business was up 50% on last year, although cost-of-living fears were steering people towards less-expensive deals.

“There are emerging trends, likely driven by the economy, with customers looking to Austria and Italy for better value,” says Simon. “Over three months, Italy, Austria and Bulgaria’s share of enquiries rose 15% compared with 2019. Average prices for Italy are 10% less than in France.

“The cost of living hasn’t affected demand, but skiers are looking for extra value, be that half-board hotels or all-inclusive holidays with lift passes.”

Iglu sells a large proportion of all UK ski holidays — including last-minute deals — and McIntyre foresees a “strong late market” due to economic factors. But he predicts greater availability given that spring ski trips were hard to come by last season due to rebookings from previous seasons. “By virtue of this not happening again there are more holidays on the market,” he says.

Scott Britton, head of commercial at Crystal Ski Holidays, agrees with the positive outlook. “We’ve been seeing record bookings,” he says. “With chalet availability harder to come by or more expensive, there’s an appetite for good hotels and larger self-catering apartments.

“Italy was a little more relaxed on entry requirements last season, and this led to a larger share of bookings then, and demand has continued.”