Ski trends: End of the entente cordiale?

For many British skiers, there’s only one place to consider for a skiing holiday – France. Since the 1980s, France has been by far the most popular ski destination for Britons, accounting for 43 per cent of holidays in 2008-09, and the same percentage for the three previous years. That figure is more than double its closest rival, Austria, six times the percentage who go to Switzerland and 14 times more than the percentage who ski in the US.

In some French resorts, such as Méribel and Val d’Isère, it can seem as if the only voices you hear are English. In fact 64 per cent of all foreign visitors to Méribel are British.

Last winter, however, France’s share of the British ski market fell for the first time in a decade, according to data from the Ski Club of Great Britain. It retains the top spot, but lost 4 per cent – equivalent to nearly 45,000 tourists.

In some resorts the situation is more marked still. Last year, tour operators saw 20.8 per cent fewer Britons travel to Val Thorens and 14.7 per cent fewer to Courchevel and Méribel, according to data compiled by Crystal, Britain’s biggest ski company.

Those within the industry put the drop down to the perception that France offers poor value for money. Vincent Lalanne, marketing director at the Three Valleys Association (covering resorts including Courchevel and Méribel) organised a meeting last winter with local lift companies and tour operators to discuss pricing in the area. Lalanne floated the idea of a cap on the price of beer in resort bars (at €4.50 a pint) and warned local restaurants that they risked losing British clientele by continuing to raise prices.

Where are the Brits going instead? To Austria, it seems, which saw a 2 per cent rise in its share of the British market, as well as Andorra, which saw a 1 per cent lift.

The trend looks set to continue. For this winter season, Tui Travel introduced 18 new resorts to its brochures, of which only four are in France.