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Non-EU ski destinations likely to be favoured after Brexit

A quarter of Britons are more likely to take a winter ski or snowboard holiday outside the European Union after Brexit due to perceived cost rises and potential visa implications.

A further 34% of those polled by Club Med said it would make them rethink their holiday destination, with destinations in eastern Europe becoming an increasingly popular option.

Countries such as Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria all feature in the top ten list of desirable destinations for the coming winter.

Despite Brexit playing a part in where and how people are choosing to holiday this year, British holidaymakers are determined to not let this get in the way of their alpine getaway,

Yet 84% are still likely to go on a ski or snowboarding holiday this winter but 29% of them won’t be making holiday arrangements until Brexit is finalised.

Research also showed that over two thirds of respondents said Brexit would change their booking behaviour in some way.

Three quarters (76%) of people expressed concerns about currency fluctuations and 60% believed they will spend more on holidays due to Brexit.

Club Med UK and Northern Europe managing director, Estelle Giraudeau, said: “Despite the economic uncertainty with Brexit, we continue to see strong year on year growth and we have ambitious expansion plans in the ski market.

“We don’t have any plans to slow down our ski expansion despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

“Over the course of the next three years we are set to move into the ever expanding and popular Canadian ski market as well as keep expanding in Asia with a new ski resort in China.”

More than one in ten people plan to pack a drone on their ski holidays this year, the study revealed.

Almost half would use a drone guide on the slopes if it was offered.

The research also found that 88% of smartphone users logging into their social media accounts during their last ski or snowboard holiday.

Of those, almost half (46%) admitted that they had wiped out on the slopes after looking at social media

Two thirds of millennials pick holiday destinations based on what they see on Instagram and other social media channels.

British winter holidaymakers are increasingly looking for an easy booking process.

Almost one in three people (29%) said that if someone else in their group had not organised the holiday, they would not have gone on a ski holiday last year, highlighting the importance of the lead booker in any group trip.

More than a third of people look back at snowfall from previous seasons and 27% will be choosing a resort at higher altitude this year to guarantee the best possible snow conditions.

Club Med sales support this finding with high altitude resorts including Val Thorens, Tignes and Cervinia among those with the strongest year-on-year growth with sales up by 19% in the Italian Alps.

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