The snowsports market suffered a dramatic contraction during the recession, as holidaymakers cut back on expenditure and supplanted overseas holidays with breaks in the UK. However, improving levels of consumer confidence and improving economic conditions saw contraction in the market bottom out as the market enjoyed a minor 0.6% growth in numbers of holidaymakers in the winter of 2012/13.
This report examines snowsports holidays taken by UK residents, both in the UK and overseas, and explores consumer experience of and attitudes towards snowsports holidays. The report also provides a five-year volume and value forecast for the snowsports market, investigates core drivers behind changes in the market and explores the challenges and opportunities that brands will face in 2014. This subject was last explored in Snowsports - UK, May 2012.
Definition
The term snowsports is used in order to encompass both skiing and snowboarding. The term skiing encompasses alpine, or downhill skiing, and cross-country, also known as Nordic skiing.
An adult, for the purposes of Mintel’s research, is anyone aged 16 or over.
The standard travel and tourism definitions used in the terminology of this report are as follows:
Tourism is any travel which involves at least one overnight stay away from home.
A holiday is a subjectively defined form of tourism, as defined by the tourist in response to surveys such as the International Passenger Survey (IPS). A holiday can be distinguished from other leisure travel, such as visits to friends and relatives (VFR) or shopping trips.
Short-haul refers to destinations within Europe. The following destinations are considered to be short-haul: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus EU, Cyprus Non-EU, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Other Europe.
Long-haul refers to destinations outside of Europe.
The Canaries are included as a part of the Spanish market, and Madeira and the Azores are included as part of the Portuguese market.
A package holiday is defined as the simultaneous sale of at least two elements of a holiday to the traveller: fares on public transport (eg flights) and commercial accommodation (eg hotel or self-catering apartment). Other elements, such as meals or excursions, are not essential to the definition of an inclusive tour. The term ‘all-inclusive’ is used to describe a special type of resort holiday in which food, drink, excursions and other services are provided as part of the total holiday cost.
An independent holiday is one in which the traveller organises and books transport and accommodation from separate sources (eg a Channel ferry crossing and a caravan site in France).
The methodology used in Crystal’s Ski Industry Report 2013, which is used within this report’s Market Size and Forecast, Segment Performance and Market Share sections, is as follows:
The Ski Industry Report 2013 brings together information on the UK winter sports industry into one unified report. Sources include tour operators' statistics, British Ski and Snowsports (BSS), airport passenger figures, published CAA statistics, tourist office data including the Observatoire National des Stations des Motagne and travel agency reporting. The figures quoted cannot therefore be taken as absolute but, because of the breadth of sources used, are believed to be as balanced and accurate as possible.
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