The Ski Resort Report 2013 is the 7th annual report published by Post Office Travel Money in association with Crystal holidays. It provides a snapshot of the costs of skiing in Europe and North America each year, and there’s a few surprises. Popular perception is that Eastern Europe is cheaper than the Alps, and that Italy or Austria are cheaper than France, but as can be seen in the report, there’s a few resorts that challenge those ideas.
Certainly, Bansko in Bulgaria and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia remain the cheapest, with average costs of around £274 and £326 respectively, but the resorts of Livigno in the Italy and Austria’s Ellmau are not far behind with less than £50 separating them all. The top 12 cheapest resorts now include 7 from Italy and Austria, including Sestriere, Cervinia, Selva, Mayrhofen and Schladming.
However, many of the proponents of Italy and Austria as places to ski on a budget tend to eschew France as being more expensive, and yet Morzine is found in 5th place with an average cost of only £402
Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money, said: “The continuing weakness of sterling and all sorts of other pressures on the pocket in everyday life means that resort costs are bound to be a key factor in determining ski destinations this winter. Skiers on a budget have great value resorts to choose from if they head east to resorts like Bansko and Kranjska Gora but the Italian resorts we surveyed are strong contenders too.”
He continued: “Families should do their homework and compare resort costs before booking a ski holiday as they can make a big difference to the overall price when paying for three, four or more people. A good way to save money is to resort-swap within countries. Families can shave 25 per cent off their ski costs in Austria by choosing Ellmau rather than Kaprun and 15 per cent in France by visiting Morzine instead of Les Deux Alpes.”
Simon Cross, Managing Director of Crystal Ski Holidays said: “Last year we predicted that 2012/13 would be a turning point with skiers returning to the ski slopes and this indeed was the case. For this forthcoming winter, we’ve observed that ski companies keep on inspiring customers with good value holidays and more skiers than last year have already booked.”
Download or view the full report : PO Money Ski Report 2013