A new study in the USA has been published in to how technology is impacting skiers, including their travel decisions, information sources and how they use their mobile devices and smartphones.
A key finding of the “Skier and Ski Traveller Study,” which costs £621, is that US skiers and boarders are finally embracing online and mobile advance bookings for all facets of sourcing and booking their tickets and travel.
The report says that better technology is changing consumer behaviour. Ski resorts have only started adding online booking capabilities for lift tickets in the past few years, and it’s quickly gained traction. Among the report’s findings:
Nearly half (48%) of all lift tickets sold in the US are now booked online and through mobile channels vs. 36% at resort ticket offices. And, lift tickets booked online are most likely to be booked through a resort website (57%) followed by a ski travel website such as Liftopia (27%).
More skiers are using technology to book ahead. Skiers have been quick to embrace online and advance purchase lift tickets for convenience and better deals: 50% of all lift tickets are purchased at least one week in advance for ski travellers and nearly 44% of day skiers purchased at least the day before. Last season, the Liftopia platform booked about 1.2% of all North American skier visits.
Consumers who buy in advance save the most. Advance purchase now spans months versus days or weeks. In the “olden days,” season ticket sales wouldn’t start until the fall, but now consumers are purchasing lift tickets year-round to snag the best deals. Liftopia reports that on average customers saved 30% off ticket window prices when booking at least a week in advance.
The report’s authors found that skiing was growing in popularity with more than two in five US skiers plan to ski more this upcoming season than in the past, and one-third plan to purchase lift tickets in the future from their smartphones.