29 Sep 2021
Savoie Mont Blanc's ski resorts are getting ready to welcome visitors
With its 112 ski resorts, Savoie Mont Blanc is a world-leading destination for winter sports.
L'Agence Savoie Mont Blanc has commissioned the French research agency Contours to carry out a survey about winter holidays. Contours contacted Savoie Mont Blanc's four main markets to find out their plans for the winter. They had answers to their survey from 1,167 French people, 1,107 British people, 1,066 Belgian people and 966 Dutch people (between 1 and 10 September 2021).
Among the British respondents, 190 were skiers who regularly go on ski holidays.
General holiday trends
Of the British people interviewed, 20% said they would definitely go on holiday this winter, 20% were unsure still and 60% said they wouldn't. The main reason for not going on holiday was the fear of another Covid wave (42%), followed by the worry that their holiday would be cancelled (17%), while 27% said their personal financial situation was stopping them from going on holiday this winter.
Of the British respondents, 25% were planning to go abroad to somewhere sunny, while 10% would choose the mountains (compared to 12% pre-Covid).
However, Savoie Mont Blanc remains optimistic about the winter, as skiers are more likely to go on holiday this winter than non-skiers.
The survey shows that British, French, Belgian and Dutch skiers are really eager to go skiing: 45% of the British respondents who are skiers said they would go skiing this season (along with 52% of French, 50% of Belgian and 40% of Dutch respondents).
After a winter without alpine skiing, 42% of British skiers said they couldn't wait to go skiing, while 27% were waiting for the confirmation that the ski lifts would be open this winter before booking. Only 7% said they wouldn't go skiing this winter.
“These projections are really likely to reassure all of our professionals who have suffered so much from the consequences of the pandemic. They now can look to the future with optimism and confidence for the next winter season,” says Christelle Ferrière, Marketing Director of L'Agence Savoie Mont Blanc.
Vincent Rolland, the MP for the Savoie department and Co-President of L'Agence Savoie Mont Blanc, said last week, “Cet hiver, c'est ouvert” (“This winter, it's open”). Although the French government will announce its decision in mid-October, the local politicians and professionals are optimistic and believe that the 112 ski resorts of Savoie Mont Blanc will open for the 2021–22 winter season.
The pass sanitaire (health pass) won't stop holidaymakers
A compulsory health pass to access most public venues came into force in France on 21 July. The health pass certifies that the bearer has either been fully vaccinated or has had a recent negative PCR test. The French government might decide that it is necessary for people to have a health pass to visit a ski resort. It is not seen as a problem, though, as the majority of British people already have one. The ski industry is already working on ways to make sure that the checks in resorts can be done smoothly and not disturb holidaymakers. The exact measures will be announced by the French government in mid-October.
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Notes to editors:
L'Agence Savoie Mont Blanc is the Tourist Board for the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments. Savoie Mont Blanc covers two-thirds of the French Alps and includes world-famous resorts such as Val d'Isère, Méribel, Morzine-Avoriaz and Chamonix, as well as smaller and less well-known ones like Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, Valloire, Le Grand Bornand and many more.
Savoie Mont Blanc is easy to access by train, car and plane (airports include Chambéry, Grenoble, Lyon and Geneva).
There are new flights from the UK to Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc airport: Jet2 will fly from Manchester, London, Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol two to three times a week from December 2021 to mid-April 2022.
