The chief executive of a ski specialist travel agent says a boom in bookings is a ‘shot in the arm’ this winter.
Sno boss Richard Sinclair told Travel Weekly: “It’s exciting to see bookings bounce back and testament to how passionate skiers and snowboarders are that sales are growing more than in any other niche of travel.”
Sno is trading 40% up day-on-day compared to October 2019, with “no sign of enquiries or conversion slowing”.
“To be booking a million pounds of ski holidays every fortnight would normally only happen in the January rush, so it’s just the shot in the arm we need,” said Sinclair. “The industry seems confident the season will go ahead more or less fully, but there remains concern that UK’s high Covid levels could make alpine host-nations nervous.”
He expects an accelerated booster jabs campaign and teenage jabs to help, and said his sources suggest ski lifts in resorts such as Val d’Isere will not be mandating double-jabs or regular testing for teenagers.
“The key challenge for travel agents and their customers this winter may be dwindling availability, as we face the triple-whammy of reduced inventory, loyal customers who rolled over last year’s bookings and record new bookings,” he said, adding: “Don’t expect cheap last-minute deals this winter – if customers want to ensure they actually go skiing, the message is book early.”