Club Med CEO Henri Giscard d'Estaing urges Prime Minister Jean Castex to allow the reopening of ski resorts for the winter holidays, which begin on February 6, in order to “
save
” the mountain from “
despair
”, in a letter and an interview in the Journal du Dimanche.
Read also: Ski resorts fear they will be closed for the February holidays
This call for help, which aims to preserve a period which weighs 30% of the activity of ski resorts, comes three days from a long-awaited decision by professionals on a possible reopening of ski lifts.
“
On January 20, you will decide on the survival of the French mountain.
It is the fate of one of the rare French world leaders, and of its players, which is in your hands,
”writes Henri Giscard d'Estaing, whose group has 14 mountain clubs.
"
Winter sports represent 50% of the GDP of Savoie, and a little less in Haute-Savoie
", he also recalls in an interview with the Sunday newspaper, stressing that "
more than 100,000 seasonal jobs could disappear
" .
"
Allowing winter sports resorts to only welcome customers at the beginning of March would make as much sense as the opening of the beaches in October
", adds the CEO, questioned by Le JDD on the possibility of 'a later opening.
He underlines that the turnover recorded between March and April "
represents only 20% of the total
" of the activity.
Compensation
The aid plan deployed at the time of the end-of-year celebrations represented only a "
minimal
"
compensation
in the face of the volume of turnover lost, argues Henri Giscard d'Estaing, while Club Med employs 4,200 employees in its Alpine villages, "
most of whom are currently at home in partial employment
".
“
Club Med, with its partners, has been investing between 120 and 150 million euros per year for several years.
One season is 10 billion euros in turnover for all players.
An opening, even partial, would avoid despair,
”concludes Henri Giscard d'Estaing.
His appeal echoes the one launched a week earlier by mountain professionals and elected officials.
"
A final date must be given on January 20 at the latest in order to better prepare for the February holidays
", had demanded the National Association of Mayors of Mountain Resorts (ANMSM), which also calls on the government to "
compensate in full the losses suffered during these last months
”.
Read also: Skiing: the top 10 resorts to book with the family
