Where to Ski And Snowboard - Record-breaking ski season ahead says Club Med

Record-breaking ski season ahead says Club Med

18th October 2021, by Abi Butcher

More first-time skiers might hit the slopes this winter then ever before, says Club Med

This ski season is shaping up to be a record-breaker — with larger numbers of first-time skiers than ever before.

So says holiday company Club Med, which today releases its ninth annual ski report. ‘The Return to Ski: Winter Sports in a New Era’ report looks at the impacts of last year’s missed season due to Covid, and ongoing travel disruptions. In compiling the report, Club Med polled 2,000 UK adults, not just its customer base, and half of those polled had skied or snowboarded in the past four years.

The standout information in the report is that many more people are planning to take a winter sports trip this year, even if that means trying skiing for the first time, because they have been unable to take their usual, preferred holiday.

Some 62 per cent of people booking with Club Med said this year will be there first ski/snowboarding holiday — up from 40 per cent in 2020. Of those first-timers, 81 per cent said they were choosing a ski holiday because their usual type of holiday hasn’t been feasible due to Covid 19.

Club Med has seen a 100% year-on-year increase in new customers this year — with 24 per cent switching from their usual winter sunshine and beach holiday for snow and mountains.

Other findings from the resort show that holidaymakers are less concerned about Covid-19 sanitising, mask wearing and social distancing than last year — showing that with the vast majority of UK adults now double vaccinated, we are as a whole growing more confident in travel in this ‘post-Covid’ era. If indeed we are post-Covid now…

While people are spending more money on their ski holidays (almost half, 49 per cent) of those polled, said they were prepared to spend more on their 2021-22 winter ski holiday than in previous years — and skiers have chosen predominantly self-catering accommodation.

While ski operators have reported a massive year-on-year increase in bookings for this time of year — and with fewer flights and particularly chalets available — Club Med’s report found that nearly half (46 per cent) of British skiers are happy to book a winter sports holiday at the last minute. This is a dramatic increase from 2019, when only five per cent of skiers planned to book their winter sports holiday less than three months in advance.

If the ski season is already a bumper one — will it be a complete record-breaker? We at Where to Ski & Snowboard hope so.

There’s more good news, on sustainability. Club Med has Green Globe certifications for more than 80 per cent of its resorts, and while we look towards COP26, the company says over half its customers — 55 per cent — look at sustainability credentials of the resort before booking their ski holiday. The top areas of concern were an operator giving back to the local community, sustainably sourced food, single-use plastic free resort and food recycling.

To browse Club Med’s selection of ski and winter sports holidays, visit clubmed.co.uk