Due to the Credit Crunch a Lot of Ski Companies Will Be Cutting Their Number of Luxury Catered Chalets
Due to the credit crunch skiing reservations dropped last winter.
In spite of excellent early on reservations and first class skiing.
This fall in numbers follows five winters of sequential growth in the ski industry, and the numbers dropped from 1.25. 1.3 million two winters ago to 850000 last winter.
This is in part due to skiers giving their annual ski vacation a miss, while additional skiers who would ordinarily have 2 skiing breaks, only had the one.
Sales for the independent travel sector fell by 15% with a handful budget airlines cutting the amount of their routes to some airports.
Moreover tour operators also saw the reservations falling by about the same amount for ski holidays Europe.
Nevertheless, the leading operators market share rested at just over a healthy 70% and France carried on as the most visited skiing destination with 37% of the market.
Because of this several operators cut the number of chalets they run this coming season.
Luxury catered chalets especially will see a reduction in skiers in light of the fact that a catered ski chalet costs the operator more in terms of chalet hosts and lease when it is empty.
It seems unlikely we shall witness the last minute special offers which were around last year.
Although prices are in all likelihood to increase, they probably won’t increase much.
The 2009/10 winter will undoubtedly pose serious issues for an industry that is affected by the effects of the credit crunch, exchange rate pressures, increased costs of fuel as well as high fixed running costs for ski holiday companies.
Next winter snowboarders will become progressively price aware, this shall lead to a reversal of the last years which saw a development in the ski industry.
The big skiing operators might win back the ground lost to the independent sector if they use their buying-power to negotiate reduced prices and give these savings to consumers as appealing packages.
