After the months we've been through, maybe we focused less on planning the next ski vacation, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't look to the future. And now, as the global ski industry expands, it manages to adapt its offerings to a wide range of ski enthusiasts. Whether budget travelers or high-end ones, experienced alpine skiers looking for black runs or occasional ski enthusiasts.
These days, Mastercard Institute published a report on tourists' expenses, based on credit card transactions of tourists during their ski vacations, showing trends in ski tourism in different places around the world. The data was collected between July 2023 and January 2024. According to the report, the most expensive ski destinations are Switzerland, Austria, and the USA, where the average expenditure per transaction is over $120 per person.
On Swiss ski resorts, visitors spend an average of $75 in restaurants. On Austrian ski resorts, visitors spend the highest average amount per transaction for accommodation and hotels, at $501.
The most expensive ski resort for lodging and accommodation is the most luxurious ski resort in Courchevel, France, with an average of $1,490 per stay. Following it is the Aspen ski resort in Colorado, USA, in second place with $1,146, and in third place is Big Sky in Montana with $986 on average.
The cheapest ski resorts for lodging and accommodation are found in Georgia, Australia, and Poland, with the Bukarini ski resort in Georgia being the cheapest in the world, where the average expenditure per transaction is only $19. Next are a pair of sites in the Czech Republic - Jaske Lazne with $23 and Keilberg with $26, followed by the Szczyrk site with $27. Japanese ski resorts are ranked fourth from the bottom with the lowest average expenditure on hotels ($186), despite Japan's robust economy. In Australia, low snowfall limited expenses during the past ski season.
The cheapest ski resort, Bukarini, in Georgia is also the cheapest in terms of accommodation with an average of $45 for lodging and accommodation. In second place is the Perisher ski resort in Australia with $53, and in third place is Les Deux Alpes in France with $67.
The Perisher ski resort in Australia is the cheapest in terms of expenses on restaurants and bars, with only $17, along with the pair of Polish sites, Szczyrk and Zieleniec. Following them are the Bukuriani ski resort in Georgia and Mariborsko Pohorje in Slovenia, both with $18.
The most expensive ski resort in terms of spending on restaurants and bars is Courchevel in France ($162), followed by St. Moritz in Switzerland ($125) and in third place Aspen in Colorado, USA ($117).
The most popular ski area in the world is the Alps, from all sides (Austria, France, Switzerland and more), with vacation sites in France and Switzerland tending to be the leading global destinations for tourists from outside of Europe.
In Ischgl, Austria, the highest spending by foreign tourists was recorded in the current ski season, reflecting their vast ski area, reliable snow, and festive apres-ski scene.
From the data, it emerges that European tourists tend to prefer ski sites in neighboring countries, for example Spaniards travel to the French Alps and Germans cross the nearest border to Austria.