Where to Ski And Snowboard - Luxury ski bookings soar this year

Luxury ski bookings soar this year

12th November 2014, by Abi Butcher

Chalets like the Elephant Blanc in Val d'Isère are more popular this year than ever

There’s more encouraging news this week for the British ski industry — 72% of luxury tour operators say bookings are up on this time last year. And, perhaps surprisingly, Brits remain the top consumers of luxury ski offerings.

Stats published this week by Consensio reports that in France, British clients outweigh Russian skiers staying in super-chalets by nearly 10% — some 44% of top-end customers are British (up 4% from last year), as opposed to 35% Russians. And the picture is not dissimilar in Switzerland, where 47% of the skiers staying in luxury accommodation are Brits, down from 50% last year, and 18% Russians.

The most popular resorts in France for those in search of a luxury trip are, unsurprisingly, Courchevel, followed by Val d’Isère then Meribel — with Morzine this year edging above Megève. In Switzerland, Verbier continues to take the top slot, followed by Zermatt and then Klosters.

Some 88% of people prefer to stay in chalets, but this has dropped from 92% last year, so the luxury hotel market is gaining popularity.

Private jets are increasing in popularity among luxury ski clients; 22% flew out privately last season compared to 16% in 2012/13, and although 1% go by helicopter, most flew by scheduled airlines (British Airways and easyJet being the most popular) followed by self-drive.

And what do these high-end clients spend their money on in resorts? 30% hire a private guide, 20% have massages and 19% go on group ski school trips, 15% on a nanny and 13% on a la carte wine.

How the other half live, eh?