A new survey carried out on behalf of four big names in the British ski holiday industry has found that more skiers are booking earlier for their next ski holiday with over a quarter already having secured their 24-25 package. It also led to an estimate that there were around 1.8 million “active UK skiers” in 22/23.
The study, completed earlier this month by The Ski Club of Great Britain and the Mountain Trade Network in partnership with retailer Snow + Rock and ski show organiser Racoon Events found that 71% of us are now booking 3 months or more in advance of our holiday, compared to 61% in the previous year.
Commenting on the survey’s results, James Gambrill, the Chief Operating Officer of the Ski Club of Great Britain, said:
“The snowsports industry has seen a strong bounce back since the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s almost back to 2018 numbers. We also know from our research that 85% of younger people in the UK (18-24 age group) are interested in trying a snowsports holiday. This is very encouraging as we already estimate that there’s 1.8 million active skiers and snowboarders in the UK. But price is a barrier and we know that 50% of existing skiers earn over £50,000 a year, well over the national average. Despite challenging snow conditions in some places during small parts of last winter, the reality was that ski resorts managed to keep their slopes open from early December through to late April with some areas seeing huge amounts of snow into early May – this looks like it has helped to drive bookings for next winter as we know 26% of skiers have already booked.”
Among the survey’s other finding were:
- France is still the number one skiing destination for British skiers with 59% saying they travelled there this winter compared to 51% the previous year
- Early season dates in December that include Christmas and then into New Year has seen declines in numbers since pre-Covid years with 8% of the market saying they travel at Christmas compared to 16% pre-Covid
- The chalet market has seen a decline since pre-Covid years with 13% staying in a catered chalet this past season compared to 38% pre-Covid. 3* and 4* hotels are now the most popular choice with 61% saying they stay in these categories
- The short break market has seen a recovery over the past two seasons with 21% saying they took a break of 4 nights or fewer this season compared to 14% in the 2022-23 winter, but it is still behind pre-Covid years when 30% said they took a short ski break
- There’s been a reversal of tour operator compared to independent bookings since pre-Covid years with 43% now booking with a tour operator compared with 63% before and 57% saying they book independently compared with 37% before
- The size of the ski area continues to be the number factor when choosing a skiing destination with resort altitude coming in second and growing – quality of accommodation, food choices and ski-in-ski-out accommodation have seen some of the largest growth in decision making factors since pre-Covid years
- Resort websites have become the number one place that skiers search for information and advice since pre-Covid years but newspapers (online and print) – now 27% instead of 20% and snowsports websites – now 41% instead of 35% have seen solid growth
- Rising prices in ski resorts is seen as a major factor for the future as 33% say it will ‘very significantly’ impact how much they ski, but it has softened slightly since October 2023 when 40% were saying this
- Canada and Japan are the top two ‘dream destinations’ for skiers, but Switzerland, Austria and Italy have seen growth since pre-Covid years whilst other countries have declined.
The survey was conducted between April 29 and May 6, 2024 and received over 780 responses and Ski Club of Great Britain members were removed from the data results as Ski Club members tend to be more active that the overall UK skier market therefore removing them shows a more accurate picture
8% of UK adults (18-65) have been on a snowsports holiday at some point, with 34% of those (3% of all UK adults) travelling for a snowsports holiday in 22/23. Combining this with other survey data from the Ski Club of Great Britain and the Mountain Trade Network, the estimated number of active UK skiers in 22/23 was around 1.8 million. Although only 34% of those who have ever skied or snowboarded took a snowsports holiday last year, 46% said they tend to go every year, suggesting there is still potential for growth and a return to pre COVID-19 numbers.
