Ski specialists say bookings this season could offer agents a financial lifeline. By Lee Hayhurst
Inghams sales for this winter ‘going ballistic’
Ski specialist Inghams says it is making it as easy as possible for agents to book as it supports trade partners in need of winter revenue. The Hotelplan brand officially
launched its 2021-22 ski season at an event in London last week, unveiling its Elevate Your Winter campaign and a Covid-19 advice hub. Joe Ponte, who took over as
Hotelplan chief executive last November as the sector was making wholesale cancellations, said “ski is back” and sales were “going ballistic”. “It’s fantastic to get to the point
where we are going to run a normal season,” he said. “There’s plenty of good stuff still to sell but some dates are starting to come under pressure. “Payments are going to be due
soon so agents can start bringing in cash and make their profit when the customer travels. “We are working hard to make it
easier for our agent partners to book, even if they are not used to booking ski. That’s why we’ve launched the Covid Hub.” As well as the hub, Inghams’ In
Safe Hands promise offers deposits of Davos, Switzerland
£150 and a 14-day refund guarantee, as well as Atol and Abta protection. Ponte said Inghams was proud
of the recognition it received from consumer watchdog Which? for refunding during the pandemic. “We have to give a cash refund,
if we cannot run a trip, within 14 days,” he said. “It’s what we did first time round when others did not. We are going to
commit to that again.” Inghams has a reduced chalet
programme due to the impact of Brexit on staff recruitment, but Ponte said it had focused on quality instead. The operator said sales had risen
by 100% in the past five weeks and volumes were up 35% compared with this time two years ago, pre- pandemic. It also said more than 60% of customers were new to the brand.
Sno hails soaring bookings as a ‘shot in the arm’
The chief executive of a ski specialist travel agent says a boom in bookings this winter is a “shot in the arm” for the sector. Sno boss Richard Sinclair
said: “It’s exciting to see bookings bounce back and testament to how passionate skiers and snowboarders are that sales are growing more than in any other niche of travel.” Sno is trading 40% up day-on-
day compared with October 2019, with “no sign of enquiries or conversion slowing”. “To be booking a million
pounds of ski holidays every fortnight would normally only happen in the January rush, so it’s just the shot in the arm we need,” said Sinclair. “The industry seems confident the season will go ahead more or less fully.” He expects there will not be
a requirement for skiers to be double-jabbed to use ski lifts in resorts such as Val d’Isere, nor for teenagers to be regularly tested. Sinclair said the key challenge
for travel agents was “dwindling availability”, adding: “Don’t expect cheap last-minute deals. The message is book early.”
Club Med reports late-booking trend and upturn in new customers
Club Med has reported a 100% year-on-year increase in new customers for the upcoming ski season. The all-inclusive resort operator released its ninth
annual ski report, entitled ‘The Return to Ski: Winter Sports in a New Era’ this month. Writing for Travel Weekly, Estelle Giraudeau, Club
Med’s managing director for the UK and northern Europe, said: “Many of our popular weeks are already at almost 80% capacity including family favourites such as La Rosière, Arcs Panorama and Grand Massif in the French Alps.”
8 28 OCTOBER 2021
Estelle Giraudeau
She noted that 46% of surveyed customers said they
were prepared to leave booking until a month in advance, with 20% happy to leave it as late as two weeks before departure. Giraudeau said this was “in stark contrast” to 2019,
when just 5% booked winter sports holidays less than three months in advance. Club Med is due to open a new resort in Canada,
Quebec Charlevoix, in December. France remains its most popular destination, with 33% of survey respondents interested in the destination.
travelweekly.co.uk
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