The company has published its ninth annual ski report, entitled The Return to Ski: Winter Sports in a New Era, examining the market after the “lost” season last winter and a heavily disrupted market in 2019/2020.

A survey of 2,000 adults in the UK found the pandemic has caused many people to change their winter holidays preferences, with 62% of those questioned saying this winter will be their first ski or snowboarding holiday – this compares with a figure of 40% for first-timers in 2020.

The research found 81% of these first-time skiers were choosing a skiing break because their usual type of winter holiday was not “feasible” due to Covid-19 restrictions. This is backed up by Club Med’s own bookings, with a doubling in new customers for the upcoming winter.

For experienced skiers, their determination to get back on the slopes this winter is illustrated by the fact nearly half (46%) would go ahead with their ski holiday, even if they were required to quarantine on return to the UK.

Estelle Giraudeau, Club Med’s managing director, UK and Northern Europe, said: “The last two ski seasons have been plagued by disruption and we understand Brits are more eager than ever to hit the slopes.”

For those who had taken a winter sports holiday in the past four years, more than half (58%) had a trip cancelled due to the pandemic. Three quarters of these clients moved this holiday to the following season, with 45% of Club Med customers deferring their trip from last season.

One of the clearest trends identified in the report is that Britons are still cautious about booking well in advance. Just under half (46%) are prepared to book one month before travel, while 20% would leave it until two weeks before departure. This is a total contrast to 2019 when only 5% of people booked their winter sports holiday within three months of departure.

Spending levels also look set to rise, with 49% of those polled now prepared to splash out more on a winter sports holiday this year than pre-Covid, showing the scale of pent-up demand. This again is supported by Club Med’s data with average order value for ski trips up by 22% compared with 2019.

Short-haul demand

Part of this extra spending by consumers is being used to pay for more excursions and activities, such as dog sledding, spa treatments and Nordic walking.

Of the newcomers to winter sports, around half (48%) made the decision to head for the piste because they wanted to try something different, while 24% said they would usually take a winter sun break but had changed their plans for this season.

The survey showed how short-haul destinations are dominating the list of the most popular winter sports resorts for this winter, with Switzerland leading the way at 37%, followed by France (33%) and Austria (24%) – all these countries are proving more popular than in 2019/20.

Almost half of winter sports veterans (44%) said they were considering going to a new ski destination, particularly those “closer to home”, with 16% saying they would consider going to Scotland this winter – up from 7% in 2020. Although, conversely there is also some demand for long-haul ski breaks to North America as Covid restrictions ease.

“While short-haul destinations continue to be favourites, it’s promising to see there is appetite for destinations further afield, particularly with the opening of our first ever Canadian resort, Quebec Charlevoix, where bookings continue to be strong,” added Giraudeau.

Another trend identified in the report is a change in the type of accommodation consumers are looking for – with 35% changing their requirements from previous trips. Self-catering is now the most popular option at 41% followed by all-inclusive resorts (28%) and catered chalets (27%).