Anyone traveling to the ski areas of Switzerland and Austria this season will have to be prepared for significantly higher prices. The following applies to the slopes of Zermatt or St. Moritz: it is an exclusive pleasure.
The Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt is currently promoting ski holidays in Switzerland in humorous little video clips: Snow, Travel, Après Ski – Enjoy!
The entire tourism industry is in a good mood at the start of the season. Unlike last winter, the snow conditions are good in almost all Swiss ski areas, says Peter Berger, spokesman for the umbrella organization Switzerland Tourism: “Influenced by the very positive start, but also by the general conditions and booking levels, the Swiss tourism industry is looking at this very optimistically next winter.” There is a lot of snow – which shapes expectations. Overall, the industry expects an increase of three percent compared to last winter.
“A little more than the price increase”
However, it will be expensive fun for skiers and snowboarders: compared to last year, the price of a week’s skiing holiday in Switzerland has risen by an average of 25 percent, according to the results of a current study by the economic research institute BAK Economics. For a family with two children, everything from the holiday apartment to the ski passes in many Swiss ski areas will cost more than 6,000 francs for eight days. In Saas-Fee in Valais, according to the study, it was almost 8,500 francs, or almost 9,000 euros.
Ski passes in particular have become more expensive, says Peter Berger. There was a price increase of nine percent for multi-day tickets or season subscriptions. “That’s a little more than inflation, but it’s due to the fact that ski resort operators in particular are directly affected by the direct additional costs in the area of energy.”
However, the ski passes do not always cost the same. Most ski areas in Switzerland practice so-called dynamic prices: during the week, in bad weather or for early bookers, they are slightly lower than at peak times. But real bargains are hard to come by, warned the Swiss Foundation for Consumer Protection in the newspaper “20 Minutes”. With dynamic pricing systems, skiers are ultimately the losers and pay more.
Strong franc makes vacations expensive
Anyone who comes to Switzerland to ski from Germany or another Euro country is likely to have one more problem: the strong Swiss franc, which makes expensive Switzerland even more expensive. This is particularly felt by the ski areas in eastern Switzerland, which, according to Switzerland Tourism, “fear for the important day guests from countries near the border”.
And on the ski slopes of Zermatt, St. Moritz or Davos, most people probably didn’t have to travel far this winter. “Around 60 percent of all guests are Swiss,” says Berger. “And it will stay like that.”
The snow is the worry
Skiing in Switzerland is and remains an exclusive pleasure. And despite cheaper offers in other European countries, Berger is sure that they are ultimately unrivaled: “Switzerland is of course still considered the original of winter sports. Winter sports were invented here. And a lot of people who want to do winter sports say to themselves: If so, then in the right place, in the world-famous major destinations.” Switzerland also has the highest ski areas in Europe with 28 ski areas over 2,500 meters.
At least at the moment – at the snowy start to the season this winter. In the long term, however, snow – far more than inflation, a strong franc and high energy prices – is the main concern of tourism professionals in the home country of winter sports. “The biggest challenge is of course the general situation surrounding the snow,” says Berger. “Climate change is making things worse, as there is always the possibility of a drop in heat, which can then lead to rain falling into the snow all the way up. These uncertainties will increase.”
Kathrin Hondl, ARD studio Geneva
Ski tickets in Austria are up to 13 percent more expensive
In Austria it is also becoming apparent that ski holidays are becoming more expensive than last season. “We have price increases of between eight and 13 percent for ski tickets, and between eight and twelve percent for hotels,” said Susanne Kraus Winkler, State Secretary for Tourism in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, at the start of the winter season in Austria. “We won’t have the exact numbers until after the season.”
The most expensive ticket this season is available at the Arlberg in Tyrol. There the day costs up to 75 euros. Prices there had already risen sharply in the previous season. Overall, the average price is now 56 euros for a day ski pass. The cheapest offer is 33 euros per day. According to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, the season got off to a better start than last year. The early snowfall encouraged bookings.
Skiers go to the valley station of the Kitzsteinhorn in Austria.
At the start of the season, the national tourism organization Austria had already announced that it was expecting more winter tourists than last year. She had around 10,000 people surveyed in the ten most important countries of origin, including Germany. The result, according to managing director Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger: “20 million people are most likely planning a winter holiday in Austria. That’s three million more than last year. The booking situation is also very good.”
Guests are more likely to pay attention to the price
State Secretary Kraus-Winkler also attributes this to the breadth of the offering in Austria: “We have ski offers from low budget to luxury and that is reflected in the pricing. And the second thing is that we also have ski offers in the hotel industry from private rooms to 4 and 5 star hotels can also offer all price categories.”
Last year, booking numbers were only just below pre-pandemic levels. However: The Austrian Chamber of Commerce noted increased price sensitivity in the first few weeks. Many guests consumed less in hotels, for example. The managing director of Austria Advertising also expects that some guests could shorten the length of their vacation – or choose cheaper hotels.
Fabian Mader, ARD Studio Vienna
Kathrin Hondl, ARD Geneva, tagesschau, December 20, 2023 12:02 p.m
Fabian Mader, ARD Vienna, tagesschau, December 20, 2023 12:01 p.m