British skiers have changed their habits amid cost-of-living challenges, according to Club Med.
The operator suggests in its latest annual ski report that people are now booking earlier and are more likely to opt for all-inclusive trips with the aim of saving money.
The report’s survey of 1,000 frequent skiers and snowboarders also found that the average ski holiday spend for the 2023/24 season was down by £399 from 2022/23, and now stands at £1,580 per person.
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Nicolas Bresch, Club Med’s managing director for the UK, Ireland and Nordic countries, said: “It’s encouraging to see the high number of Brits booking early this year, as well as the number opting for all-inclusive this year, a sign of holidaymakers choosing to lock in their holiday prices before they rise throughout the season.”
The report is titled ‘Costs, Habits and Conditions: State of Ski for the Upcoming Season’.
The research found that two in five (43%) had already booked their winter sports holiday for the upcoming season, with 43% of those saying they had booked earlier as a result of rising inflation.
Two-thirds (67%) booked nine months or more in advance of their departure date, compared with 59% in 2022.
More than half of those surveyed (54%) said they were reconsidering their usual type of accommodation because of cost-of-living pressures, and three in five skiers (61%) said they were more likely to opt for all-inclusive because of inflation.
The all-inclusive model is the most popular accommodation type for skiers this season, with nearly two in five (38%) of those who have already booked opting for it.
As for destinations, the report found that while long-haul resorts made the top five dream picks of those polled, Europe leads the way for the upcoming season.
Switzerland (23%) continues to be the most popular, followed by France (20%), Austria (13%), Italy (8%) and Canada (7%).
The only non-European resorts already booked which fell inside the top 20 were the Canadian resorts of Big White (3%), Whistler (2%) and Quebec Charlevoix (2%).
Almost half of people surveyed said value for money was the most important factor when booking a winter sports holiday.
Europe came out on top for ski destinations considered best value, with France (37%) in the number one slot.
Of those surveyed, a total of 60% said they looked at the sustainability credentials of their holiday provider before booking. This figure has increased from 54% two years ago.
When asked what they thought were the factors which had the most impact on the environment when it came to international holidays, people most commonly chose air pollution (44%) and energy consumption (44%), followed by plastic waste (41%), deforestation (35%) and food waste (33%).
As for transport methods, flying was found to be the most common way of reaching a winter sports destination (69%), with driving in second place (24%) and catching a train third ((17%).
Bresch said: “We have to play our part to try and mitigate the effects of climate change given its direct impact to the travel industry and local communities.
“We are proud as a business to have a longstanding history in standing by and promoting eco-conscious travel and seek to mirror this in our business, from building resorts through to in-resort initiatives to ensure we practise a more sustainable approach.
“We know this is now at the forefront of customers’ minds and we want to echo back that this will continue to be our priority.”