It's looking a bit grim
Sunday October 4, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

It's a brave move from the holiday company, Erna Low, to release such information.  It shows in detail what some in the industry know already; many people are not booking a ski holiday at the moment.

In part because they think there will be some good last minute deals, but also because of the poor economic outlook and rising exchange rate.

Worries about the snow are way down most people's concerns, according to the survey.

Erna Low asked 156 clients who had booked their February half term holiday by this time last year what was holding them back this Autumn.

The shutters are closedOut of the clients surveyed, 38% were holding off booking and waiting for last minute deals, 18% were not planning to book a ski trip at all this season, 26% plan to book but were not yet ready to committ.

Interestingly only 5% wanted to wait to see what the snow was like and the remaining 13% had already booked their ski holiday with Erna Low.

It is a small sample but gives an interesting snapshot.

"With summer now firmly behind us, September is usually the time when the UK sets its mind to booking a ski holiday for the approaching winter. However, the current economic downturn together with the steady increase in the value of the Euro means we are witnessing a large percentage of non-commitment and a 'wait and see' attitude from many clients," says Erna Low.

See this PlanetSKI guide on how to save money on your ski holiday, and our special deals and discounts section which has some great offers starting to come in.

We have just put up a special 2 for 1 lift pass offer across many resorts, and at most times, by some of the leading tour operators.

So the industry is already responding to this lack of interest and it's not just the lift pass offer.

P&V, France's largest accommodation supplier is offering 15% off the accommodation price for the entire ski season across the majority of residences under the P&V umbrella; MGM, Pierre et Vacances, Maeva residences and Latitudes hotels.

All are available to book through Erna Low www.ernalow.co.uk .

The mantra of the industry is that "skiers and snowboarders are hardy people who love their sport and will not give up their annual ski fix come what may."

Specialist courses on the upThere is perhaps a degree of wishfull thinking in this but interestingly specialist ski instruction courses are doing well.  Figures we have seen at PlanetSKI show bookings have increased for Gap Year Courses and ski instructor courses too.

Some of the specialist holiday companies say bookings are holding up.

Here at PlanetSKi we have recently covered the decline in bookings and have gone against what many other ski commentators and other web sites have said as they encourage people to book early to avoid disappointment. We never believed people would.

We are ski and snowboarding fanatics here at PlanetSKI and want to see a healthy and thriving ski industry but if it is not quite happening we will tell you so.

Crystal, the UK's largest tour operator, has slashed its chalet accomodation by 40% this winter as it feared the current downturn.

However, we do still remain optimistic.

Erna Low issued another report at the beginning the summer about the state of the industry and predictions for next winter. 

At the time we spoke in the video below to the company's chief executive, Joanna Yellow-Lees Bound.

Here is our content editor's personal thoughts on it all from a recent blog.

Don't forget to check out the latest blog from our content editor, James Cove, about off piste safety which has also appeared as part of his regular column for 'In the Snow' magazine.

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