The French company Club Med, one of the largest and most reputable players in the global tourism market, traces its history back to 1950 and for most of this time, in addition to beach destinations, has been developing ski tourism. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first ski resort, Club Med. The company has already approached this date with more than two dozen resorts, 15 of which are in the Alps. However, even more important is the fact that over half a century of work in the premium ski tourism market, Club Med has managed to become a recognized leader and trendsetter, setting the general trends in the development of the industry, and, in addition, to create a special atmosphere at their resorts, where everyone feels like the most important guest., around which the life of the entire hotel is built.
On the eve of the start of the 2018/19 ski season, Club Med presents its research of the Russian ski market as the most dynamically developing one today and has become a part of the company's global strategy. Having analyzed the needs of the audience, the company relied on the preferences of skiers from Russia.
As part of the preparation of the study, which was prepared with the support of the French tourism development agency Atout France, a survey was conducted in which more than a thousand people took part, each of whom gave comprehensive answers on the topic of their relationship with skiing, criteria for choosing destinations and resorts., as well as positive and negative impressions received on vacation in the mountains.
As the collected data showed, not only quantitative, but also qualitative growth of the ski segment continues in our country. As part of the general trend towards a healthy lifestyle and the craze for sports, alpine skiing is becoming a favorite winter leisure option, and ski resorts are becoming a must-see destination.
- · 52% of the respondents admitted that they cannot live without sports.
- · 92.8% noted that they prefer winter trips to the mountains to rest in warm countries.
- · 29.8% try to go to ski resorts 2-3 times per season.
These studies made it possible to draw up a fairly detailed portrait of the Russian alpine skier. If earlier tourists from Russia went to the mountains not for beautiful landscapes, but for a beautiful life, red and black slopes and ice crystals on the edges of the skis, preferring red and black caviar and glasses with Cristal in their hands, now the first place in the list of interests of Russians has come out just skating.
- · 85% of respondents go to the mountains to ride, and only 1.9% choose this direction in pursuit of fashion.
- · 48.5% of respondents who have not vacationed at Club Med resorts prefer the Austrian Alps.
- · 89.4% of the survey participants vacationing in Club Med choose the French Alps.
- · 79% have already rested in Sochi of those who answered that they had a rest in the ski resorts of Russia.
- · 47% are willing to pay more for European service in the Alps.
- · 32.1% start planning a vacation in the mountains six months before the trip.
This is just a part of the conclusions that the presented study allows to make, but the general trend in the development of the ski market in Russia and in the world coincides: the number of tourists in the mountains will grow, and Club Med is ready for this process.
“Until 2021, Club Med will open 3-5 resorts a year and at least one of them in the Alps. Our ambitious goal is to become number one in the ski world by 2025, taking a leading position in all markets,”says Henri Giscard d'Estaing, President of Club Med.
