Winter wonderlands

While skiing and snowboarding may interest some, agents need to cater to those looking for 'experiences'

A ‘winter experience’

This is a trend that is being promoted by Emirates Holidays, whose latest winter brochure, Ski and Winter Holidays, focuses not just on ski resorts and the winter sports but also on ‘winter experiences’.

“Kitzbühel for instance offers high-level skiing, but there are also resorts which cater for family holidays too,” says Heinrich. “Innsbruck has a gondola to the ski slopes so people can stay in the city but experience the views, the temperature and the snow, as well as the shopping.”

Story continues below

For this market — generally Arabs who stay for longer periods up to two weeks — the need is for family activities as well as familiar accommodation, often experienced during a summer break.

“This trend is helped by more brand hotels going in to the market. In resorts such as Zell Am See or Kitzbühel, Arabs go in the summer and there is a comfort factor in knowing the destination well, and that it caters for a Middle East market,” adds Heinrich.
Pre-Christmas, there are further opportunities to really push the festive markets, as well as the multitude of other winter experiences such as horse-drawn sleigh rides, tobogganing or sledging.

Taking to the slopes

But, while the market for snow is widening, the scope to sell to keen skiers — who tend to repeat the experience on an annual basis — is more problematic.

BIT’s Clabburn acknowledges that seasoned winter sport aficionados generally know where they want to go and often rely on the trade only for flight bookings: “They may use an agent to book a package, having specified where they want to go, but a level of knowledge of the product is still necessary.”

“Generally, winter sports vacations are semi-specialised products and awareness among the trade is fairly thin on the ground — although Emirates Holidays has sought to overcome some of these issues with a brochure that offers both the consumer and the trade a point of reference from which to start their enquiries.”

Heinrich points out that experienced skiers might not use an agent for information, rather for travel bookings: “But we have business from expats from outside Europe who might not be familiar with the ski resorts.”

With more than 80% of bookings currently for Austria and Switzerland, Heinrich adds that there is huge potential to offer up something new – perhaps the US or Canada, or a short break to Lebanon.

“Business to the US in general is up because of the new flights, added frequencies and better connectivity — and as for ski, there are many advantages such as good quality snow, lower tree line, less crowded slopes and shorter lines at the ski lifts, with an authentic atmosphere in the resorts.”

For a party wanting the ultimate in good snow and good times, Clabburn recommends Lake Tahoe in California: “The season lasts until May, there are countless areas of groomed piste and virgin terrain in resorts such as Heavenly, Squaw Valley and Soda Springs and the night-time entertainment is world class.”