For the second year in a row, Italian ski resorts have dominated the best value top ten resorts for both family and adult skiers in this year’s Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report, produced in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays.
And, for the second year running, Bardonecchia has held on to the top spot in the cost comparison of 36 resorts for adult skiers, while Passo Tonale has moved up to claim the leading place in a survey of 30 family resorts. The research found that while prices have risen in most destinations, the strength of sterling means that rises are relatively small.
The news comes as the first Crystal Ski flights are preparing to take off from Belfast International Airport later this month direct to Italy to provide skiers from Northern Ireland with great value resorts.
At just under £544 (a rise of 1.5 per cent year-on-year) Bardonecchia is the cheapest resort for a week’s lift pass, equipment hire, ski school, lunches and drinks. It’s also one of six Italian ski resorts to feature in the best value top ten for adult skiers. The others are Livigno (4th, £637), Sauze (5th, £664), Sestriere (6th, £709), La Thuile (7th, £723) and Cervinia (10th, £739) and all are available via direct flights from Belfast International with Crystal Ski Holidays.
Italian resorts also dominate the top of the family chart. Last year’s runner-up Passo Tonale is rated best value for the first time with a barometer total of £1,571 for a family of two adults and two children aged 8 or under. This is largely due to the money-saving offer of free children’s equipment hire when purchased with adult equipment.
Once Post Office Travel Money converted resort prices researched by Crystal Ski Holidays into sterling, this revealed a 7.9 per cent fall in costs since last year. The top ten also includes Bardonecchia (3rd, £1,795), La Thuile (7th, £2,294), Sestriere (9th, £2,383) and Cervinia (10th, £2,383).
There are no top ten places for Austrian ski resorts in either table. Ellmau (12th, £752) offers the lowest prices of the nine Austrian resorts surveyed. Rauris (13th, £2,481) is the highest-placed Austrian resort for families – because prices have risen 17.1 per cent in Rauris.
Although the report found price rises in two-thirds of the adult resorts surveyed and in three-quarters of the family ones, the improving position of sterling, currently over four per cent stronger against the euro than a year ago, has helped to minimise those increases and most are rises of under five per cent.
However, Post Office Travel Money warns budget-conscious skiers to choose their resort carefully as prices vary significantly across Europe.
Laura Plunkett, Head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “Although sterling is currently stronger against currencies for most European ski resorts compared with last year, our latest comparison of prices in leading destinations shows that the cost of lift passes, equipment hire and ski school continues to vary.
“This makes it vitally important for skiers looking for a bargain break to do their homework before booking a ski holiday.”
Austria’s Saalbach has replaced Kitzbühel to rate as the most expensive of the 30 family ski resorts. At £3,368 (+4.1 per cent), Saalbach is over £300 pricier than Kitzbühel, where prices have fallen 8.3 per cent to £3,039.
One of the key considerations for families planning a week’s ski holiday is the cost of tuition which, the report reveals varies across in price Europe.
Laura Plunkett, Head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “We advise families who plan to send their children to ski school to use our barometer to compare the costs in ski resorts they are considering.”
Crystal Ski Holidays confirms that budget friendly ski resorts are proving popular for the coming season.
Chris Logan, Managing Director at Crystal Ski Holidays, commented: “As a one-stop shop for ski holidays, here at Crystal we want to ensure we’re offering our customers value for money when it comes to booking their holiday. With a wide choice of great value destinations on offer, Italy has continued to be a popular choice amongst our customers for the winter 2024-25 season – which is reflected for the second year running in this report among the top 10 best value European ski resorts.
With the expansion of new resorts and destinations, we continue to provide more choice and flexibility whilst taking care of everything in one simple package, allowing customers to budget effectively when on their ski holiday.”