Mature travellers boost ski market
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Travellers in the grey market are helping to sustain the ski market while the new-to-ski market remains stagnant, a new report has revealed.
Experienced skiiers aged 55 or over are to lead growth in the market in the short to medium term due to their love for the sport, while many consumers cut down their ‘second holiday’ (which is usually a ski break) amidst economic constraints.
The cheaper euro rate is also said to have helped bookings, with the industry keen to pass that message onto potentially new skiiers too. In the future, the industry will look to engage new customers to skiing by showing it is not as expensive as it seems.
“Overall, skiers are saying they intend to take more ski holidays over the next five years” says Roy Barker, director of travel marketing firm SPIKE, which carried out this research. “We wouldn’t interpret that is saying the market is set to boom, but longer term it shows the ski market is in good shape for the future”.
In a survey of 18,000 people, the SkiBase Report found respondents thought Italian resorts were of the best quality, while more than 74% would like choose France as its next destination for a winter break.