University students are cashing in on the prospect of a quiet December this winter season, with student tour operators securing more December beds in anticipation of higher demand.
Tour operators are reporting that sales of ski holidays for December, until New Year Week at least, are slow, while Easter sales are booming and February half-term holidays may “sell out”, for France at least, within the next month.
The main reason being given for slow December demand is the successive poor snowfall starts to the season in recent winters, although of course no one knows how winter 2017/18 will start.
But at least one holiday company is seeing strong interest from a particular market sector. Pierre & Vacances, the biggest provider of mostly self-catering accommodation in the French Alps says that their student market is up for this sector.
“The calendar is better generally next season with Christmas looking attractive in terms of days off for adults, and students have a full two weeks before Christmas, giving them more choice. Worries about a holiday being ruined by little snow don’t concern the students as much: a lot of them are beginners so they don’t need massive areas to be open, and they are equally as motivated by the après-ski as the snow activities. Their chosen destinations include the highest resorts of Val Thorens, Alpe d’Huez and Tignes so the risk of less snow is lower,” says Pierre & Vacances’ Cathy Rankin.
For British university students the calendar is good because the university holidays are not clashing with any other major European holidays this year, which means that prices are considerably lower for students this season. Student operators believe there will be high demand and as such have secured more beds.
Although the university student market interest in December ski holidays goes against the trend, Cathy says that the student interest is strong at Easter too:
“Easter is early, universities break up earlier, there’s no clash with French holidays and, again, there are cheaper prices than last winter for everyone able to travel either 24 or 31 March compared to Easter holidays last year.”
