Three of the UK’s major ski holiday operators have confirmed they will not be running trips until February next year, writes Lucy Aspden.
Inghams, Ski Total and Flexiski, all owned by Hotelplan UK, have suspended all December and January departures “following the disappointing news that many ski resorts will not be opening their lifts until late January, alongside a number of airlines now cancelling their January flights.”
“Right now, we do not have a clear picture of when the ski resorts are going to be open and every country seems to have a different view, so we continue to monitor the situation closely,” said Joe Ponte, CEO of Hotelplan UK.
Last week it was confirmed that lifts in France and Italy won’t be turning until the New Year, while those in Austria will only be accessible by locals. Switzerland stands alone in its welcome to foreign visitors, with resorts planning to open before Christmas, but under strict new rules.
“While many resorts have not been able to open their lifts in January, we remain hopeful that we will be able to deliver the ski holidays people want in February 2021, and we understand people are eager to get back on the slopes,” said Ponte.
All customers will be offered an alternative holiday at a later date or a refund. “While March remains the most popular month for ski bookings this season, we continue to see increasing numbers for winter 2021/22—and when the time is right, we plan to be offering our customers the ski holidays they expect and more,” said Ponte.
Crystal Ski Holidays, the UK’s leading operator, has also cancelled all its holidays in December, and has confirmed it won’t run trips to Andorra, Austria or Italy until January 4 2021, at the earliest.
