Speaking at Abta’s Delivering Sustainable Travel seminar on Wednesday (25 May), John Mansell said: “Climate change is a disaster for the ski industry. In 10 to 20 years, ski will be a different market to what it is now – the snow is melting.”
Mansell, who was recently promoted to the role of managing director at Inghams’ parent Hotelplan UK after a spell as chief operating officer, said in recent years, average temperatures in the Alps had increased by 2C – double the increase globally. “The ski season is a month shorter than it was in the 1970s,” he said.
Inghams has just rebranded its summer programme as Inghams Walking, which Mansell said was part of a wider effort to prepare for a future when winter sports becomes a smaller market.
“We had a summer programme and it made sense to expand that offering because we were limited to lakes and mountains. Expanding walking means we can turn it into something year-round. It allows us to tie up ‘the great outdoors’.”
He warned delegates: “We can’t just blindly walk into the fact there’s going to be no snow in the near future. We are pivoting towards walking, which allows us to tie up our three areas [winter sports, lakes and mountains, and Lapland]."
Mansell said the refocused programme would allow Inghams to go year-round, and to go into parts of Europe off limits to a strict lakes and mountains offering.
He later told TTG: “I reckon in 15 to 20 years, we will see some serious changes in the ski market. It means going further up the mountain, less availability and higher prices.”
Lift companies, he said, may force clients to buy passes before they depart to alleviate the risk of overcrowding. “If the runs are shorter and there are more people on them, it’s not going to be a great experience,” he admitted.
Global warming, he said, had led to a rethink of where Hotelplan stood in the market, adding it needed to look at “other avenues” in order to grow into an outdoors "umbrella brand".
Mansell said acquisitions were "not off the table" to bolster and diversify the Hotelplan UK portfolio, which comprises Inghams, Santa’s Lapland, family ski brand Esprit, Explore and Inntravel.
“We’re looking at lots of different options. We need to drive the business forward and take it to other areas."
