Christmas is about to get cheaper
Tuesday November 23, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

According to people we have been speaking to there could be some reductions of around 20% in the cost of a holiday at Christmas.

A pretty good saving by anyone's standards. It comes as beds and holidays remain unsold.

There is availability in many places across The Alps over the Christmas period for a number of reasons.

Firstly there is a trend for people to stay at home for Christmas as they opt to enjoy this time of year in the comfort of home. This social change has been going on for a few years now.

Then there is the question of early season snow cover. 

Although it has been good in the past few days the start has not been like the past two winters when there was widespread early season cover. It hasn't been dreadful, but it hasn't been great either.

However it is set to remain cold and so the snow canons will soon be working overtime.

Then there is the economic situation that is affecting many people; perceived or otherwise.

This year there's the added problem of holiday dates with Christmas Day falling on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, the traditional transfer days. Just to add to the problems New Year's day is a Saturday too.

Will there be some festive cheer this Xmas?Already many families have opted for the first week in January and are deciding to forego any sort of Xmas break in the mountains.

They may have to take their kids out of school for a few days but the cost seems to be a deciding factor here.

All this has had a poor impact on Christmas sales, but big discounts are about to hit.  They many come in the next few days or Tour Operators may hold their nerve and cut closer to Xmas.

Behind the scenes they are eyeing each other up and watching the moves.

Here at PlanetSKI we know of a small number of people who are definitely planning to go away at Xmas but are simply waiting to see when the big discounts will come in. However if they wait too long then maybe there won't be any holidays left to where they want to go.

The question is who will blink first.

We will bring you first news and of course do keep an eye on our deals and discounts section that we reckon will soon have some very, very good offers.

Our advice at the moment is that if you haven't booked already and are looking for a good price then hang on.

And it is not just us British that are changing our habits.

In Austria six out of ten people in a recent survey said they wanted to sped Christmas at home rather than in a ski resort.  Only 13.7% of the poll, conducted by The Austrian Times, said they intended to go skiing or snowboarding over the festive period.

April in The AlpsFor the ski industry it will be a difficult season as Easter also falls very late, April 24^th.

However perhaps people will realise that late seasons skiing is some of the best on offer.

With our hand firmly on our heart here at PlanetSKI we can say that April is our favourite month to ski.

You will need to head high to be certain of good conditions but you will find plenty of snow, long days, uncrowded pistes and a far more relaxing atmosphere.

April is the best.

For the moment though let's wait and see what happens at Christmas.

One thing is certain though- decent discounts are coming shortly and we will tell you about them here at PlanetSKI.

Watch this space.

Update - We have just received a few special offers with large savings in the run up period to Christmas - see the PlanetSKI deals and discounts page.

Some are half price.

For the spirit of the mountains

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