Inghams has reported an “incredible” winter season over 2022-23 as wintersports clients have “flooded back” to the slopes.
Joe Ponte, chief executive of parent company Hotelplan, told a Travel Weekly webcast that this current winter season has been “absolutely smooth sailing” after all the disruptions of the pandemic.
“British skiers – they just love to ski and they’ve flooded back,” he said during a trip to Grindelwald in Switzerland with travel agent partners.
More: Inghams employs more Europeans in ski resorts post-Brexit
“We’ve had customers booking two, three, four times in this season.
“It has been an incredible season and, by all of our measurements, it’s performed well and truly better than pre-Covid.
“The market has come back flooding back. France, Austria and Switzerland, where we are now, are all performing really well for us.”
He noted one post-Covid change booking patterns which means there is a lack of lates in the market because holidays are largely sold out.
“Ordinarily, at this time in the season – for the last month of the season – we’re discounting significantly. We’re not doing that now,” he said.
“This entire season has almost been completely sold out for us.
“People are actually having to book really early [for next season].”
He reported bookings were strong with Hotelplan’s other brands too.
About 99.5% of Santa’s Lapland departures were sold, with the brand taking 17,000 customers away over a five-week period.
Explore Worldwide, which offers escorted tours in about 120 countries, is “absolutely back” now that destinations have reopened to tourists.
“It is trading at levels far in excess than we were four years ago”, added Ponte.
“Asia really bounced back once the restrictions had lifted; people have really dived back to go and see that part of the world. It’s been really great, great season.”
Ponte also highlighted the group’s commitment to sustainability with a planned investment in 2023 of more than £1 million in biodiversity and climate initiatives.
Hotelplan is shifting its focus away from offsets into carbon removal, thanks to a partnership with Danish firm called Klimate.
It has also partnered with Rewilding Britain, a charity that works with communities and individuals to help them rewild land and sea.
Ponte was talking to Travel Weekly on a trip with travel agents to the Swiss resort of Grindelwald, which was accompanied by Alex Herrmann, UK & Ireland director at Switzerland Tourism.
Herrmann told Travel Weekly how sustainable travel – aka ‘Swisstainable’ – is important in the country, where most of the rail network is electrified and runs on renewable energy such as hydro-electric power.
He said travelling by train is easy, highlighting how the agents on the trip had travelled from Zurich airport by rail.
Furthermore, scenic train routes are very popular among holidaymakers, such as the Glacier Express, Bernina Express and new Montreux-Interlaken service.
More: Inghams employs more Europeans in ski resorts post-Brexit