The research does not take into account a single group: This is why ski holidays in Saas-Fee are more expensive than in Airolo

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Skiing is an expensive hobby. If you want to ski in the Swiss mountains, you’ll have to dig deeper into your pockets. A week-long ski holiday in February 2024 has become more expensive on average by a quarter compared to last year, according to a study by Bank Cler and BAK Economics.

Ski holidays in Valais are particularly expensive in February 2024. A week in Saas-Fee costs 8,470 francs for a family of four with all the details – including a holiday apartment or hotel room, ski passes for the whole family, ski and snowboard rental, meals on the slopes, ski school and whatever other needs There was. This is 60 percent more than last year. A family in Verbier (6,967 francs) or Zermatt (6,764 francs) pays slightly less. There, too, costs increased by a quarter.

At Airolo TI, the situation is completely different: costs fell by 5.5 percent in only one of the 14 ski areas examined. How is this possible?

Foreign tourists are returning

Saas Fee and Verbier are popular holiday destinations. “Accommodation in particular has become more expensive for 2024,” says Bank Cler CEO Samuel Meyer (42) when asked by Blick.

At the beginning of November, when the research was conducted, there were only a few hotels and holiday homes in Saas Fee. “On the one hand, this is due to the generally strong demand in the tourism sector,” Meyer continued. On the other hand, school holidays in many important origin markets fall in the week between 10 and 17 February 2024 under review. It is said that many cheap hotels and holiday apartments from Saas-Fee are also booked before November. Many foreign guests are also attracted to Valais: British tourists especially like traveling to Verbier.

Significantly more accommodation was available in Airolo at the beginning of November. The Ticino ski area is also much smaller. It has seven cable cars and 30 kilometers of pistes. Saas Fee is four times larger, with 144 kilometers of pistes and 40 cable cars and lifts. With an altitude of up to 3500 meters above sea level, it is also significantly higher than Airolo, with a maximum altitude of 2250 metres. Therefore, snow reliability is much higher in Valais.

Valais is popular for its ski camps

Although Valais is an expensive place, almost half of the approximately 400 ski camps organized by the Swiss Snow Sports Initiative association take place here. The association organizes snow sports camps for schools in Switzerland. These are usually mandatory and take place during school hours. Especially in January and March: This is cheaper.

«There is a lot of group accommodation in the Valais in general and in the Saas Valley in particular. “They offer attractive prices due to strong competition,” explains club president Ole Rauch (50). Group tickets are also less affected by inflation. “Service providers often offer special rates for groups and schools, and these are not as affected by price fluctuations as individual prices,” Rauch continues. If you still want to go on a ski holiday in Valais with your family, you should book early.

Source :Blick