As of: March 2, 2024, 6:02 a.m
By: Kai Hartwig
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Skiing is very popular.
But some factors are particularly important for winter holidays, as a new survey shows.
Munich – Ski tourism is booming again this winter.
“The demand for winter holidays is unbroken,” Franz Hörl, chairman of the Austrian cable car association, and Robert Seeber, chairman of the tourism and leisure sector, announced in November 2023, according to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.
This year too, numerous skiers could be seen on the slopes of Austria, Switzerland and Italy - including many Germans.
New survey shows: This is what is most important to German tourists on a skiing holiday
But which factors are most important for ski fans from Germany on their winter vacation?
A new survey has examined this question.
The market research institute Motivaction commissioned a survey on this in September 2023.
1,050 holidaymakers from Germany were surveyed who stated a departure date in December, January or February for their skiing holiday.
The survey was carried out by the tourism company Interchalet, which offers ski holidays in Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy.
Winter sports fans from Germany have preferences when booking a ski holiday - this also includes the proximity of the accommodation to the ski lifts.
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Ski vacation: Which factors are important when choosing accommodation
One question was about accommodation.
Respondents were asked to indicate which criteria are a priority when booking a hotel, cabin or apartment.
The survey showed that the view is the most important reason for booking.
42 percent booked their accommodation on the condition that it had a view of the mountains.
The wellness offering followed in second place (20 percent), with 18 percent of ski vacationers from Germany finding the proximity of the accommodation to the ski lift to be most important.
The top factors for accommodation on a ski holiday at a glance:
Mountain view
Sauna or bubble bath
Proximity to the ski lift
Storage options for ski equipment
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Biggest annoyances on a ski holiday: pushing, racing, getting in the way
Winter sports fans want to have fun on the ski slopes.
But some things can cloud this.
According to the survey, the top annoyance among German winter sports enthusiasts is jostling at the ski lift (50 percent).
Ski fans recently had completely different problems in Switzerland - there the lift broke down and caused trouble.
According to the survey results, speeders on the ski slopes are only slightly less likely to cause annoyance (48 percent), and skiers who suddenly stop in the middle of the slopes are also not welcome (38 percent).
When other skiers used the entire width of the slope, this bothered 31 percent of the winter sports vacationers surveyed the most.
Anxious skiers also made it into the top 5.
Also interesting in this regard: The overwhelming majority of those surveyed, 82 percent, consider themselves to be good winter sports enthusiasts based on their own skiing qualities.
The top 5 biggest annoyances on a ski holiday at a glance:
Pushing at the ski lift
Racing skiers
Stopping in the middle of the piste
Use the entire width of the slope
Anxious skiers
And for some winter sports enthusiasts, the fun doesn't end after skiing.
Many holidaymakers end their day of skiing with après-ski.
The offer is particularly large in ski areas in Austria.
According to the survey, après-ski is very popular with 37 percent of those surveyed.
They said they indulged in this sociable tradition two to three times during a ski week.
According to the survey, over half of the skiers and snowboarders surveyed among 18 to 24-year-olds swear by extensive après-ski experiences (53 percent).
At least 16 percent of survey participants go to the bar (almost) every day to reward themselves with a refreshing drink.
However, according to the survey, there were also ski tourists who were not fans of après-ski.
22 percent expressed concerns about this - primarily because they were worried about being drunk while skiing or snowboarding.
The vast majority of survey participants (81 percent) were in favor of a ban on alcohol on the ski slopes.
Austria dominates when it comes to the most popular ski resorts and winter sports regions
Austria dominates among the most popular ski resorts booked via the Interchalet travel portal for December 2023 and January and February 2024 (period: November 1, 2022 to November 4, 2024).
The Alpine republic takes the top five places in the ten most frequently booked ski resorts and is represented a total of eight times.
There are also two Italian ski resorts.
The top 10 most frequently booked ski resorts at a glance:
Mayrhofen (Austria)
Kappl (Austria)
Sölden (Austria)
Zell am Ziller (Austria)
Fügen (Austria)
Campitello (Italy)
Kaltenbach (Austria)
Prutz/Kaunertal (Austria)
Livigno (Italy)
Längenfeld (Austria)
When it comes to the most booked regions during this period, the Zillertal in Austria is at the forefront.
There are four other Austrian ski regions in the top 10 (Tyrol, Pinzgau, Paznaun, Ötztal), but also four in Switzerland (Valais, Bernese Oberland, Engadine, Savoy/Hochsvoyen) and one in Germany, the Black Forest.
Climate change is currently causing problems for many ski areas.
Some had to close their slopes in February because it was too warm even for artificial snowmaking.
Meanwhile, a researcher explained that winter tourism can work even without snow.