The costs of winter sports holidays could be among the highest ever – far exceeding the costs faced by visitors on pre-pandemic trips. Research by a Travel Money Specialist FairFX, revealed that winter 2022 prices at some resorts are up to 173% higher than pre-Covid.
Comparing the cost of lift passes, tuition and ski hire across 49 European and global ski resorts, FairFX found that costs increased by an average of 14%, or the equivalent of £77 over the past three years, six resorts seeing higher costs have doubled since winter 2019/20, the last pre-pandemic ski season.
The biggest increase was recorded in the Slovakian resort of Tatranska Lomnica, which saw a 156% increase in prices compared to 2019, or more than £1,000. The second biggest increase was in Bohinj, Slovenia, where prices have risen by 173% or £514 over the past 36 months. The third biggest spike was Winter Park in the US, where skiers face costs 43% higher than in 2019, equating to an extra £525.
At the other end of the scale, some resorts in Bulgaria, Finland and Norway offered considerably better value for money in 2022 than in 2019. Bankso in Bulgaria was £198 cheaper than in 2019, costing just under half (48%) as much as it did in 2019. Iso-Syote in Finland was 41% cheaper than three years ago, equivalent to a saving of £300.
Based on the cost of a ski pass, a week of lessons and a week of ski hire, FairFX found that the best destination for winter 2022 was Bankso, where the total cost was 207 £ for an adult which is slightly cheaper than best value. destination in 2019 (Kekes, £244).
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Vallnord in Andorra offers the second best value at £299 and Vemadalen in Sweden the third best value at £349 for the ‘basket’ of ski essentials. What’s more, the cost of a ski holiday in France has fallen more than in any other country in Europe, with 88% of the resorts surveyed offering the same discounted trip from 2019, with some resorts slashing up to a third the price.
Ian Strafford-Taylor, Managing Director of FairFX, said: “The outlook for winter skiers could look bleak compared to 2019 as the impact of the Covid pandemic continues to negatively impact the value of the pound against the main currencies. Winter sports enthusiasts will need to be very savvy during what could be the priciest season for skiers for quite some time.
“They will need to research well, plan ahead and top up their currency of choice before they go to minimize the impact of higher resort costs coupled with a weaker pound to ensure their vacation money stretches as far as possible.”
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