Ski - the season 2021/22 is going to be "historic",
says Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the French Secretary
of State for Tourism.
Tourism professionals are confident that the French
Alps are going to have a very good season and M
Lemoyne has said that the Government will do
everything in their power to facilitate this.
The budget given to Atout France to promote the
resorts has been tripled (to two million euros), and
the Government is working with local pharmacists
on ways of simplifying, and speeding up, the
acceptance of pass sanitaires. He added that the
Government has already given out 650m euros
in compensation, which equates to 10bn euros
in turnover and 120,000 jobs, for the 325 French
resorts, which welcome 10m tourists (a third of
whom come from abroad).
The international market is equally as important
to the property sector in the Alps and, the already
strong, demand is going to be boosted by the new
"Travelski Express" service from London.
Indeed, "The race is on for a ski chalet in the Alps"
was the headline in the Sunday Times last October.
This was one of many such stories, as the UK market
picked up after the double vaccination programme
began to work.
Optimism abounds for
the new season
With two ski seasons impacted by the pandemic
a longer term trend seems to be emerging. New
research shows that buyers are now looking for
larger, airier, properties with outdoor space and
access to clean air and countryside. Mountain living
is, once again, back in the spotlight, with an already
limited supply being put under severe pressure
from unprecedented demand.
The top end of the market is equally affected. A
recent survey of global wealth advisors states
that 11% report an increased desire to buy a ski
property following the Covid pandemic, with this
figure increasing to 26% among European HNWIs.
Common sense dictates that this is purely driven by
the mountain air, views and sheer space available
in the Alps.
In terms of capacity, hotels were hit hard, with
demand switching to private chalet rental - where
guests are self contained and can more easily follow
safety protocols. Once again, limited supply means
that the investment market is booming.
What impact did the
pandemic have?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The race is on for a ski
chalet in the Alps.
Sunday Times
"