4th March 2021. Beach holidays saw a mass surge in bookings off the back of the Government’s roadmap announcements last week and the trend has also been seen in increased demand for ski holidays according to market leader, Crystal Ski.
Managing Director, Chris Logan, explains: “We were already seeing significant demand for next season, with bookings well ahead of where we would expect to be in late February/early March. And the Government’s roadmap announcement has further fuelled this. The entire holiday industry is seeing a surge and for Crystal Ski Holidays that’s meant a daily uplift of around 30%, on top of already strong sales, since the timeline was outlined last Monday.”
The most popular destinations are France, Austria and Italy with dates throughout the season selling stronger than previous years, with Val Thorens, Obergurgl and Sauze d’Oulx the top selling resorts. Following the challenges of Christmas 2020, bookings for Lapland this December are also extremely strong – over 300% up vs 2019. February half term is also well sold with families denied their time on the slopes this year booking to get back to the mountains.
After the disappointment of a cancelled season snowboarders and skiers are desperate to get back to the slopes and Crystal’s ‘Remember the Feeling’ campaign running across social and digital channels has struck a chord, with thousands recalling their favourite times from chair lift chats to powder snow moments.
Logan sums up: “March is a great month to head to the slopes, catch the tail end of the season and some mountain sun. We’re seeing people being nostalgic about their previous snow holidays, whilst looking forward to their next adventures. Confidence is bouncing back; consideration is high and bookings extremely positive. We could actually be in for a bumper season as skiers clamour to get back to the mountains for their first snow fix since the pandemic took hold over a year ago.”
