Ski holiday bookings through travel agents appear to be declining, with more than 80% of agents on a recent Travel News poll saying they no longer book ski packages.
Ronel Blom, from Travel Counsellors, said she still sold ski holidays but not as much as she did around 10 years ago.
“It is a luxury or costly holiday option, with flights, transfers, ski packages, ski lessons and passes. It might be over budget for most families,” said Blom.
While skiing remains a significant market, it requires a high level of expertise to sell effectively. “Skiing used to be a hype type of product but with Absolute Ski and Thompsons Ski pulling out of the market a lot of agents don’t have the skills to sell ski,” said Jonathan Gerber, CEO of TAG Travel.
Although demand remains strong, Gerber said the booking process was less easy as skiing is a high-end product with lots of knowledge required.
He said bookings had evolved, with more travellers booking repeat ski trips as families or groups. “Lots of bookings are done directly and there are also lots of all-inclusive Club Med Ski packages being sold. It is now more global and higher end,” said Gerber.
However, skiing remains a big sector for TAG Travel. “We do a lot of bespoke type of ski bookings and also use Club Med extensively for family and group all-inclusive bookings.”
