Demand for Europe’s top ski destinations is exceeding pre-pandemic levels, according to travel agency Ski Solutions.
Winter specialist Ski Solutions said, despite the recent economic headwinds, booked revenue is 23% up versus 2019 with pricing 15% higher than pre-pandemic.
It added that it had seen “no dip in demand for core four and five-star premium packages or any trend towards lower grade destinations”.
Alpine resorts, such as Val d’ Isère, Val Thorens and Verbier, continue to feature “most prominently”, Ski Solutions said.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium also painted a positive picture, with departures from the UK this month projected to hit 83% of December 2019 levels.
Flights from UK airports to ski destinations are 35% up compared to December 2021, with over 65,000 planned departures during this month.
Cirium predicted flights to Europe’s most popular ski resorts were scheduled to exceed pre-pandemic levels this month.
Flights from the UK to Switzerland are projected to hit 94% of 2019 levels, with Geneva seeing 4.1% more flights than December 2019.
And flights from the UK to Austria are scheduled to reach 91% of Dec 2019 levels, with the ski resorts of Innsbruck and Salzburg both seeing 24% more UK flights than pre-pandemic.
However, flights from the UK to France have only reached 74% of 2019 levels and northern Italy has also showed growth, with flights from the UK to Turin and Verona up 12% and 5% respectively.
Craig Burton, Ski Solutions managing director, predicted this winter would be “one of the strongest we’ve seen yet”.
He said: “After a couple of seasons of unpredictability for the ski industry throughout the pandemic, we’re thrilled to see the demand for ski holidays this winter exceeding pre-pandemic levels with booking revenues up 23% compared to this time in 2019.
“Our bookings team has seen huge demand for some of the familiar resorts such as Val d’Isère and Whistler, but also some of the lesser-discovered alternative options including the new resorts added to our portfolio in Norway.”