The results of a new survey of ski resorts and tour operators carried out by ski trade venture Mountain Trade Network in partnership with tech company Skitude and Ski Press have been published.
The survey asked 1,000 destinations and operators about how last winter went for them and also how they see the future of the British ski market after Brexit and with COVID still an issue. 218 responded.
Among the findings were that 97% of responding businesses said they expected to be operating fully this winter and believe visitors to the mountains will increase following Covid. That’s up from 60% a year ago.
84% of winter sports destinations and operators said they expect to see British skiers back next winter. Of the 16% that weren’t optimistic, 13 said that they are still considering whether to target British skiers and 3% said they want them back but aren’t sure they will return.
When asked how confident they were that British skiers would return to European resorts, 74% said they confident or very confident that would happen, with the remaining 26% all saying they were at least hopeful. It was a slightly different picture for long haul travel though, with just 28% saying they were confident or very confident, 51% hopeful and 20% highly doubtful.
But as far as destinations and operators go, they believe Covid has had a far larger impact on their business than Brexit, with 90% saying Covid will have the largest impact and 10% saying it will be Brexit as well as Covid. Looking ahead to the future, 18% of respondents believe that Brexit will continue to have a negative impact on their business.
