Data compiled by analysts Cirium and published by holiday company Ski Solutions has revealed that scheduled flight departures from the UK this December are projected to hit 96% of the numbers four winters ago in December 2019, the last before the pandemic.
Scheduled flights from UK airports are also up 16% compared to December 2022, with over 75,000 planned departures during the month, Ski solutions report.
“Despite the headwinds in the economy, Ski Solutions has seen revenue from booked ski trips departing in December 2023 rise 10% year-on-year, as travellers continue to seek premium leisure and adventure holidays over the Christmas period,” a statement from the company notes.
From the UK, Austria has been one of the largest markets for ski season growth, with Cirium showing scheduled flights from the UK this December up 18% on 2022 and exceeding pre-pandemic flight levels to Innsbruck and Salzburg by more than 40%. This trend has also been seen by Ski Solutions, with bookings to Austria up 48% year-on-year and 43% above pre-pandemic numbers, the company reports.
© Ski Solutions
Scheduled flights from the UK to Italy are also up 9% year-on-year, with Ski Solutions saying their bookings have jumped by 20% versus last December.
“While France remains one of our key destinations, our strategy of offering up new resort experiences to our clients is proving successful. As a big advocate of the Austrian ski experience, it’s great to see demand growing so strongly to these resorts,” commented Ian McIlrath, Managing Director of Ski Solutions.
Ski Solutions also reported a big jump in sales to Norway, where it has had a particular sales push and the company noted that long-haul bookings to Canada are also up 6% year-on-year and hitting 99% of pre-pandemic levels.
This is supported by data from Ski Solutions, which reveals that their ski bookings to the Canada are up 38% this December compared to 2022 and actually above their pre-pandemic with 132% growth.
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