Coronavirus: Attendance at ski resorts deemed “satisfactory” at Christmas

Attendance at ski resorts was “satisfactory” during the two weeks of Christmas and New Year’s leave, despite a health context “always complicated”, professionals in the sector said Monday.

The occupancy rate stood at 74%, against 84% during the same period in 2019-2020, according to data compiled by the specialized firm G2A, mandated by National Association of Mayors of Mountain Stations (ANMSM).

Despite the absence of a large part of the British clientele

The absence of a large part of the British clientele, banned from French territory due to an epidemic outbreak, and that of other international holidaymakers, “represents a significant loss, especially for the altitude resorts and puts some accommodation providers in difficulty” , notes Jean-Luc Boch, president of the ANMSM and mayor of La Plagne-Tarentaise (Savoie), in a press release. Despite this, the winter season was able to start in “good conditions with French holidaymakers going to the mountains”, he underlines.

A number of station managers had said they were very worried in December about the new epidemic outbreak and, above all, about the French government’s ban on travel to and from the United Kingdom, except for “compelling reasons. “.

The Savoie Mont Blanc agency, which brings together professionals from 112 resorts in Savoie and Haute-Savoie, believes that “the end-of-year holidays were not, on the whole, up to expectations. », With a drop in attendance which could reach 14% compared to 2018/2019. “Hopes of a trend recovery for the rest of the season remain whole, even if January is not shaping up under the best auspices,” she adds.

A month of January which “is not emerging under the best auspices”?

The uncertainties about the implementation and application of the vaccine pass as of January 15 “force customers to be very careful with their projects, and even more specifically foreign holidaymakers whose rules concerning the third booster dose diverge. largely depending on the country, ”notes the agency.

To compensate for the absence of the British, it plans to deploy in January a vast communication operation, supported to the tune of 600,000 euros by the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, intended to “seduce the French and young people”.

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