they also offer low ticket prices and
great value if dining on the slopes.
Similarly, interest is strong in Les
Bauges where you'll find resorts
such as Grand Revard and AillonsMargériaz
and you can ski for the day
for as little as 10€. Both these areas
offer year-round activities, and the
Leggett team in these resorts alone
has sold over 50 properties this year.
Putting aside inflation and energy
costs, most resorts have also been
investing heavily in summer activities.
This is increasingly important, as
an increasing number of tourists
venture into the wilderness of the
mountains, to escape the crowds
and grab themselves some space
and fresh air. The result is that we
are seeing more clients looking for
year-round locations, which most
resorts are now capable of offering.
Additionally, there is around €300
million p.a. being invested into
making ski resorts sustainable, more
user friendly, and more climate/
energy friendly. Becoming ecofriendly
is important to those of us
in the French Alps, and resorts are
striving to be awarded the "Flocon
Vert" (green snowflake) label. Around
50 ski lift companies have already
committed to exclusively using
renewable energy sources.
How this affects the local
property market
As usual, prices have held up well
in the Alps, despite the economic
and political issues arising from the
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
06 Leggett International Real Estate
So, what might this mean for snow
sport enthusiasts in this coming
season?
One of the benefits of having over 60
local agents spread across the Alps,
is that we get to see the full picture
of how local authorities, developers
and other interested parties are
reacting. Faced with rising costs
and the demand from government
to reduce energy bills, they have
varying strategies and plans. Some
are increasing the ticket prices, some
are reducing the speed of their lifts,
whilst others are cutting services,
(i.e if two lifts are going to the same
place only one will run). Alongside
the lift operators, all the restaurants,
hotels and bars need to make the
same savings, whilst also meeting
the increased costs of heating and
running their business. It's going to
be an interesting year. But these are
mountain folk, strong and resilient,
used to facing every challenge that
the weather and high mountains
might throw at them - there is no
doubt that solutions will be found
and that the resorts will continue to
thrive.
Whilst the big-ticket resorts, like
Courchevel, Méribel and Val-d'Isère
will remain forever popular, and
prime places to buy and invest, some
thrifty French skiers are changing
their habits. They are heading to
lower resorts, that are much easier
on their pockets. Ski areas like
Les Sybelles (which is actually the
4th largest domaine in France) are
becoming increasingly popular. Yes,
they offer a shorter ski season, but