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Have we cheapened the ski industry?
As the internet gathered pace through the 90's, so too did the budget airlines and competition for a share of the ski holiday market. In a fast growing industry, over commitment from zealous Operators became common-place and the late deal became more prevalent than ever before. Prices for a flight inclusive package to a premium French ski resort were often comparable to the cost of a return train fare from London to Bristol!
Great! What was once a stuffy and elitist sport, attracting only the very well to heel or middle classes was now becoming a more down to earth past-time. Everyone could now afford to go skiing!
Needless to say, the pressures on the environment have been great and thus any economic justification of the cheap ski holiday has been in-substantiated by empty or low income plane seats. Skiers and snowboarders have taken to the mountains on a budget and hammered the snow in exchange for little or no resort income.
An increase in budget skiers who spend little in resort has not only been unhelpful to sustaining local communities, but caused greater pressure on snow. Resorts such as Tignes and Chamonix are recording alarming data that shows their glaciers are receding; and such to the extent that Tignes (once a 365 day a year ski resort) is now down to 260 days max.
That said, the ski industry becoming oversubscribed is not likely to put off potential visitors. With ski deals on offer from firms such as Alpine Elements, the popularity of this once-exclusive pastime continues to rise.
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