Crystal reveals latest ski trends

Crystal Ski Holidays has revealed big differences in where people from UK regions choose to go for their winter snow break.

Winter 2018/19 saw 32% of bookings made for ski resorts in Austria, with France second at 30%. Val Thorens came out as the favourite resort for customers.

Clients based in the north of the UK chose to spend their time mainly on the Austrian slopes.  Mayrhofen and Zell am See were hot favourites, while some also chose Borovets in Bulgaria.

France was the country of choice for most southerners, with the top resorts being Tignes and Val Thorens.

Crystal Ski Holiday’s top resort for families was Passo Tonale, Italy, which saw an increase in bookings last season. Zell Am See, Austria proved to be most popular for couples.

The most popular accommodation for families was the Grand Hotel Paradiso in Passo Tonale with 1,600 families choosing to stay there.

The Rila in Borovets in Bulgaria was the second favourite hotel for Crystal customers, whilst the second favourite resort was La Plagne, France.

The resort of Borovets in Bulgaria saw a substantial increase in visitors as did the Finnish resort of Ruka. In total, Crystal customers travelling with families booked over 700 childcare places for winter 2018/19.

Ski couples’ favourite hotel in their top destination of Austria was the Tirolerhof in Zell am See. Among older couples, the resort of Obergurgl came out top. Younger couples opted for the party hotspot of Borovets, attracted by lively nightlife, great value hotels and lift passes.

Last-minute holidays counted for 15% of total bookings in January.

February, as ever, was particularly popular for families, particularly in school half term.

Those travelling to France bought the most extras, including equipment and lift passes. Austria had the most sales for ski and snowboard tuition.

Crystal customers are already booking early for 2019/20 and the Grand Hotel Paradiso, Passo Tonale, Italy is proving popular.

Customers in the north still favour Austria but the southerners have mixed it up a bit and Italy and Finland are currently leading the way.

Crystal has introduced a new resort in Italy for next winter. Drei Zinnen is home to high quality hotels and offers good quality skiing. The resort is known for its family friendly character and skiers can make the most of this new resort with flights from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick and Manchester airports.

Crystal Ski managing director Chris Logan said looking back at trends and statistics helps the operator plan for the next season.

"Our winter 2019/20 ski holidays are now on sale and we are already counting down the days to the slopes reopening. We have already announced new flight routes, new childcare clubs, a new resort and a revamped chalet product, so we are really looking forward to next season," Logan added.