Ski holiday bookings 'well ahead' of expectations
Rob GillSkiers can’t wait to get back to Europe’s slopes this winter after last year’s “lost season”, but will this demand lead to an availability squeeze? TTG’s Rob Gill reports.
Skiers are among the most “resilient” of holidaymakers and, after missing out last winter because of the pandemic, they’re itching to strap on those skis and snowboards again.
That’s not to say the possibility of disruption owing to the pandemic isn’t a factor, but for most winter sports enthusiasts, it’s a risk worth taking – particularly when booking a package with all the protection they provide.
Like the rest of the industry, ski operators have seen big changes in the traditional booking periods during the Covid era.
Most specialists reported “surges” in bookings during the first few months of this year as clients booked or moved their holidays to winter 2021/22 after lockdown dashed last season’s travel plans.
Diane Palumbo, Skiworld sales and marketing director, said: "From January to April, there was an unbelievable surge. The consumer had booked for the season that didn’t happen and were deferring their holidays. Customers are booking and are desperate to go – there’s the thought of the mountain scenery and the feeling when you’re on your skis."
Booking patterns
Felix Hemsley, marketing manager at Oxford Ski Company, added there had been a “focus on booking early and getting something locked in, something to look forward to”.
This trend, said Hemsley, was “exacerbated” over the summer as international travel became “more difficult or unpredictable”, which, in turn, had “fuelled the desire to get away this winter”.
Tui-owned Crystal Ski said 2021/22 sales were “well ahead of where we would expect to be at this stage of the year” and “significantly up” on the same time in 2019.
“Many skiers have been denied a season for two years and are desperate to get back to the mountains,” said a Crystal spokesperson. "We’re seeing strong consumer confidence from all customer types.”
Another major ski brand, Inghams, said current bookings were “15% up on where we’d normally be at this point in the year”.
Club Med, meanwhile, has seen trade bookings increase by 40% year-on-year for its ski resorts as the all-inclusive operator prepares to open new and refurbished properties this winter, including its first Canadian property – Quebec Charlevoix – in December.
"We're noticing significant growth in new clients, with an 80% year-on-year increase,” said Estelle Giraudeau, Club Med’s managing director, UK and Northern Europe.
“Given the open-air surroundings, it’s perhaps unsurprising this is an attractive holiday proposition in the current climate.”
Spoilt for choice?
European resorts are set to dominate the ski market this winter with the status of long-haul options such as the US, Canada and Japan more uncertain.
Recently revived luxury specialist VIP Ski said it had strong bookings for resorts with “good snow records and high- altitude skiing”, particularly French destinations such as Avoriaz, Arc 1950, Val d’Isere, Morzine and Les Gets.
Inghams has also noticed a resurgence in popularity for France for this winter, especially Val d’Isere, Tignes and Meribel, while Levi in Lapland and Austria’s Obergurgl have also sold well.
Other trends include more demand from clients to book entire chalets, as well as increased popularity of self-catering properties as groups look to effectively form their own “bubble”.
“There has been a noticeable swing away from shared chalets; many bookings are now for whole chalets where you don’t have to mix with others,” said Gareth Crump, VIP Ski’s sales and marketing manager.
Crystal has seen more self-catering demand with larger apartments being booked as clients “transition from chalets”, while Inghams reports a “marginal increase” for ski hotels, with chalets still popular for small groups.
Availability squeeze?
Skiers from across Europe are expected to flock back to the slopes this winter leading to a squeeze on availability – and it won’t just be for peak dates at Christmas and February half-term.
“There’s still availability, but we’ve never seen it so challenging,” said Palumbo. “There’s particular pressure on peak dates, but there’s also pressure in early January and some dates in March. We never expected to have a challenge with availability this far ahead.”
Giraudeau added: “With many family and interconnecting rooms almost at full capacity for popular weeks, we’re encouraging agents to book their client’s winter breaks now.”
That’s not to say there aren’t deals to stimulate bookings – Crystal has discounts of £520pp for some Christmas breaks, and Inghams is targeting clients looking for a second ski holiday with four and five-night offers in January.
While regular skiers are likely to have already booked, more casual ski clients seem to be waiting for more certainty before making a decision.
Holiday experience
One of the biggest unanswered questions is how Covid will affect the holiday experience. Accommodation is not expected to be a major issue with operators enacting well-rehearsed protocols for enhanced cleaning and hygiene, as well as regularly testing staff.
But the wider experience on the slopes, such as how lift queues are managed, is less certain at this point, as are the rules governing bars, restaurants and other apres- ski activities.
“We have got a few questions about how they will manage lift queues, as well as whether you will have to log in when going into bars in France,” said Palumbo. “It’s a bit ‘wait and see’ at the moment.”
Last winter, Switzerland was the only major European ski destination to effectively open and perhaps offers a clue – Verbier, for example, created a team of “Covid Angels” to enforce social distancing rules and regulations at ski lifts and other pinchpoints.
Nobody knows where we will be with Covid infections and vaccine roll-outs when the ski season starts. But, so far, the winter season looks promising, and that’s about all we can hope for in this ever-changing climate.
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