Ski season 2022/23
Hiking instead of skiing: many want to save money on their winter vacation
Hiking above the Walchensee in winter
Ski holidays in the Alps are considerably more expensive than summer holidays on the North Sea beach. The inflation-related decline in disposable income will probably not remain without consequences for winter sports resorts.
Ski resorts and winter holiday resorts are likely to feel the effects of high inflation in the coming season. According to a new survey, more than a quarter of potential winter holidaymakers (26 percent) want to forgo a holiday in the snow because of rising costs, and almost a quarter (23 percent) are thinking about cost-cutting measures. This was determined by the Yougov institute in the survey published on Sunday. The client was the Bavarian sportswear manufacturer Schöffel.
According to this, only a quarter of those who take winter holidays at least occasionally stick to their original plans. As far as possible cost-cutting measures are concerned: Some of those surveyed generally do not want to travel as far or go on vacation on the slopes, others take a shorter winter vacation than planned, go to après-ski less often or stop at huts. Yougov surveyed over 2000 adults online.
Planning for the tourist regions is becoming much more difficult, said Stefan Merkt, Managing Director of Schöffel Sport. “I think when snow falls, the ski regions will be full. But people will probably be away for shorter periods, more spontaneously on weekends and on day trips.”
Rather alternative activities instead of lift tickets
The survey does not bode well for ski areas in particular. Almost two thirds (63 percent) of the participants said they would rather go hiking with or without snowshoes in winter. Other alternative activities that are possible without lift tickets: cross-country skiing, ski tours or winter cycling.
“Winter sports are becoming more diverse. This is also being driven by inflation and climate change,” said Merkt. “The importance of skiing is being reduced somewhat, while hiking is becoming more important.”
The Schöffel Managing Director assumes that the coming season will not be easy for everyone involved in the winter sports business, but this will not affect the long-term trend towards exercise in the fresh air. “This is now a short-term dent, so it’s time to reef the sails in the headwind,” said the manager. “We are currently feeling a certain reluctance to buy in retail.” The number of customers in the shops has therefore decreased slightly.
“But the issue of nature and health remains a long-term trend,” said Merkt. “People continue to like to go outside a lot. Nature and the outdoors are incredibly important, especially in a crisis, as a counterpoint to all the stress and uncertainty.” That’s why he was “basically in good spirits on the long axis”. According to Merkt, 2022 has been a good year for Schöffel so far in terms of sales.