Ski resort holidays remain relatively niche, and these holidays are only likely to become more expensive as a resort of the pandemic, which will see participation continue to be limited to more affluent consumers. However, with 54% of potential first-timers saying affordable accommodation would encourage them to take a ski resort holiday, there is an opportunity for operators to promote lower-cost destinations and accommodation types in order to broaden their appeal.

Despite COVID-19 causing a significant revenue decline for many travel companies in the short to medium term, moving forward, the long-term outlook for the skiing and snowboarding market is positive. Young consumers are historically the core audience for ski resort holidays, and there is significant pent-up demand for adventurous activities amongst this group.

However, multiple lockdowns and new strains of COVID-19 have further exacerbated the uncertainty facing the ski holiday market. Many people have put off booking a holiday for 2021 or beyond because they do not know when they will be able to travel, when they will feel safe enough to travel and what restrictions will be in place.

When overseas holidays are permitted again, the ski resort market is in a good position to recover relatively quickly. Frequent skiers should still be in a position to afford to take these holidays given their healthy financial situation. Meanwhile, the outdoor nature of ski holidays will appeal to those wanting to avoid crowds, with operators already expanding their portfolios in anticipation of demand for quiet, peaceful locations.

• The impact of COVID-19 on the skiing and snowboarding market

• Participation and future interest in ski resort holidays

• Consumers’ preferred board and accommodation types when taking a ski resort holiday

• How ski operators have responded to changes in consumers’ behaviour and preferences

• Ways to encourage consumers to take a ski resort holiday in future

The first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK at the end of January 2020, with a small number of cases in February. Rapidly rising case numbers led to the first national lockdown, starting on 23 March. It was not until 15 June that non-essential stores were allowed to re-open, followed by pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers on 4 July, and many beauty businesses on 13 July. Restrictions on overseas travel began to be lifted from 10 July 2020, with quarantine requirements imposed on travellers entering or returning to the UK from most destinations.

By September, it had become clear that the UK was at the start of a second wave, and social distancing measures were intensified. Continued increases in infection numbers led to Wales implementing a two-week national lockdown from 19 October, England announcing a month-long lockdown from 5 November, and Scotland introducing a new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions. 

Despite these restrictions, however, case numbers continued to increase. All four UK nations tightened restrictions in January 2021, effectively leading to a full UK-wide lockdown.

On 22 February, Boris Johnson announced the roadmap to an easing of restrictions in England, starting with the re-opening of schools on 8 March, followed by easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings on 29 March, and with a hoped end to all restrictions by 21 June. The Welsh and Scottish governments also gave more details on their plans to ease restrictions, with both nations taking a slightly more cautious approach to the one planned for England. The UK’s vaccination programme started on 8 December 2020, and with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines licenced for use in the UK, the government aims to offer a first dose of the vaccine to 32 million people by mid-April.  

The UK government’s roadmap states that domestic holidays in self-contained accommodation will be allowed from 12 April for use by members of the same household, as long as four conditions are met. These include the vaccine rollout going smoothly, no surge in hospital admissions, evidence to show vaccines are working at reducing deaths and hospital treatment and that new variants do not threaten any of the above. The rest of the accommodation sector may be allowed to open from 17 May but will be subject to stage three social mixing rules, limiting indoor gatherings to six people or two households. On 12 April, the Global Travel Taskforce will publish a report with recommendations for the restart of international travel. After this, the government will issue further guidance on when to resume international travel, which will be no earlier than 17 May.

Mintel’s economic assumptions are based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s central scenario included in its March 2021 Economic and Fiscal Outlook Report. After the fall of 9.9% throughout 2020, the scenario suggests that UK GDP will grow by 4% in 2021 and 7.3% in 2022.

GDP is not expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until the second quarter of 2022, although this is six months earlier than the OBR forecast in November 2020, mainly because of the faster than expected rollout of vaccines.

Unemployment is expected to peak at 6.5% in the fourth quarter of 2021. As with GDP, this is more positive than the OBR’s November forecast, but the OBR does raise the prospect of long-term scarring on employment, especially in the more exposed retail and hospitality sectors.

Mintel’s forecast is based on the assumption that the vaccine rollout will limit the risk of any new outbreaks and lead to a gradual opening up of international travel. However, some measures to control the virus, such as testing and quarantine measures, may be in place for some time, making international travel more difficult. The forecast is furthermore based on the assumption that the emergence of vaccine-resistant strains can be well contained.

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

This Report covers holidays taken to ski resorts by UK consumers. A holiday is considered as a trip that includes an overnight stay outside of the UK. Unless otherwise stated, UK ski resorts are not included in this Report.