The UK’s largest ski holiday company, Crystal, have officially launched their 2017-18 programme.
What tour operators launch for the following ski season and when has changed dramatically over recent years, particularly with the widespread demise of the printed brochure.
Rather than a traditional brochure Crystal are publishing ‘Your Guide to the Mountain’ which the company describe as, “…a brand new approach, styled as a travel magazine to inspire new and experienced skiers and snowboarders.”
The 52-page guide in magazine format highlights all the “best bits” of a ski holiday with expert recommendations to help readers narrow down the options for their next winter holiday a Crystal statement reads. It includes top tips for families, first time skiers, finest restaurants and hotels, how to make your budget go further and more.
Crystal goes to 126 destinations in 13 countries, offers departures from 23 UK airports, St Pancras and Ashford rail stations and will send nearly 200,000 skiers and snowboarders to over 1100 properties and almost 50 chalets this forthcoming winter, more than any other UK ski operator.
Major tour operators used to issue a ‘preview’ brochure in the spring and then their main programme for the following season in the summer, but the preview brochure – now an online launch of the next season’s programme – takes place in late autumn of the year before the ski season being previewed.
There is still a summer launch but in the meantime most of the news of new destinations and flight routes has already been announced. So it’s less of a big deal than it once was.
“We asked our customers what they wanted from a ski brochure and discovered that they have outgrown the traditional format. So this season, we thought we’d take a different approach to better serve their needs. The guide complements our website where customers can use search and filter options to effortlessly compare and choose the right holiday for them,” said Crystal’s Managing Director Chris Logan.
Your Guide to the Mountain can be ordered or viewed online, alternatively picked-up in the Crystal store in the indoor snow centres at Braehead (Glasgow), Castleford, Hemel Hempstead, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Tamworth.
Crystal had previously announced some of their main news for 2017-18 including new destination choices of Are and Vemdalen in Sweden and Heavenly in the USA as well as new flight routes from Exeter, Doncaster Sheffield and Luton to Chambery for ski resorts in France.
