Like Les Deux-Alpes, Tignes had a short reopening before the reconfinement, from October 17 to 28.
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Andy Parant
Last March, confinement weighed heavily on the balance sheet of 350 French ski resorts, deprived of about a month and a half of opening.
They fear an even more painful season, due to the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic in France.
20 Minutes
interviewed several major players in mountain tourism in France, which retains its main reason for hope in its record attendance last summer.
If there is one sector that relies on the magic of Christmas in France, it is mountain tourism.
Faced with the current confinement due to the Covid-19 health crisis, the stakes are colossal, with 120,000 direct jobs depending on the opening of ski resorts and a turnover announced by France Montagnes at 11 billion euros .
Already deprived of a month and a half of activity last season (i.e. a loss of revenue estimated between 15 and 20%), because of the first confinement on March 17, the 350 French ski resorts are at an impasse.
When Emmanuel Macron announced the reconfinement, on October 28, Val d'Isère (Savoie) had for example already sold 1,200 packs of its “First Tracks” event, which marks the opening of its season each year.
If this highlight, scheduled for November 28 and 29, has in fact been postponed, the Savoy resort will be able to host three weekends behind closed doors of the Alpine Skiing World Cup (from December 5 to 20) with the Critérium de the first snow.
However, nothing indicates that this is a strong sign for a future recovery for the general public.
[📣ACTU ']
Following the Prime Minister's last intervention last night, the Critérium de la Première Neige will welcome from December 5 to 20, 7 stages of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup. # Valdisere #criterium @fisalpine @ ClubdesportsVal pic.twitter.com/SejNxTtk6k
- Val d'Isère (@valdisere) November 13, 2020
New reimbursement conditions in the mountains
“We are ready and even proactive,” announces Cécile Ferrando, communication and promotion director at Val d'Isère Tourisme.
But the customer occupancy rate for our entire season is currently only 38%, against 58% at the same time in a typical year configuration.
The finding is just as negative at Alpe d'Huez (Isère).
"The president's speech immediately led to a cancellation of 15% of our reservations, especially on weekends in December and New Years," says Céline Cayot, manager of the 4-star hotel Les Grandes Rousses (106 rooms).
As we are also going to lose all the group seminars, ie a quarter of our clientele over the season, that promises to be really tricky.
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It is not for lack, in this context of unprecedented crisis, to significantly relax the possibilities of short stays and the cancellation conditions.
"Most mountain accommodation is fully reimbursed, without any reason, if it is canceled up to 48 hours before the date," explains Armelle Solelhac, mountain tourism expert.
And for reservations for ski lessons or accommodation, proof of Covid-19 also allows free cancellation on the day. "
Our file on the coronavirus
“A real challenge” for Val d'Isère, which welcomes more English than French
Consultant in prospecting and strategy in the tourism sector, this Annécienne evokes "a delay of 26%" in mountain reservations in France.
"This delay is mainly due to the withdrawal of several tour operators," continues the CEO of the Switch agency.
It is a real opportunity for hosts to take control directly with customers.
"A bad for a good then, even if we should be far from the usual average of 28% of foreign customers, this winter in the mountains?
The domain of La Plagne, here in 2019, is used to having a quarter of foreigners among its customers.
- Elina Sirparanta
“It's a real challenge for us in Val d'Isère, since we are used to having more English (42%) than French (38%) customers, notes Cécile Ferrando.
In addition to the coronavirus, Brexit has a direct impact on our economy and we are inevitably trying to dredge new local customers.
“A strategy favored by many ski areas in a season which has only been able to start for two of them.
Like Les Deux-Alpes, the resort of Tignes (Savoie) thus has the particularity of having opened its doors on October 17, before having to close 12 days later after the presidential speech.
An increase in attendance at All Saints' Day in Tignes
“It's an understatement to say that our start to the season is atypical,” emphasizes Frédéric Porte, general manager of the Tignes resort.
It's a lot of work having to stop so quickly and be ready to start everything again as soon as we get the green light.
On these All Saints holidays, we had the best snow conditions for four years and we had a 30% increase in attendance compared to the same period in 2019. ”Proof that faced with the heavy coronavirus context, winter sports enthusiasts feel at ease at altitude.
"We have been very vigilant to the strict application of the health protocol, like last summer, especially in the queues," recalls Frédéric Porte.
Wearing a mask was essential at the ski lifts, last month in Tignes.
- Andy Parant
With an incidence rate 2.5 times higher than the national average, Savoie has since become the French department most affected by the epidemic.
This pushes the CEO of the Tignes resort to fear "a catastrophic decline in economic activity".
The tension surrounding the Savoyard hospital system is obviously not good news.
We are not in favor of opening the stations at all costs.
It will take place when it is reasonable.
But the current situation in Savoy is not linked to the practice of outdoor sports.
Skiers know that the mountain is a privileged place in relation to the circulation of the virus, and we have seen this with the success of mountain destinations last summer.
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“The same configuration as last spring”, really?
A hopeful statement confirmed by France Montagnes.
“While we were starting almost from zero at the beginning of June, this summer was a historic record with a 4.7% increase in the number of visitors to mountain accommodation in France compared to last year,” indicates Jean-Marc Silva. , director of this organization bringing together 350 French resorts.
This progression corresponds to citizens' desires for large spaces.
We know that flexibility will be required, because last minute reservations will turn into last second reservations.
You should know that 13% of mountain tourism concerns the period before Christmas.
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This seems more than threatened, but the uncertainty is even greater about this dotted recovery: early December, for the next school holidays, early 2021, or even the specter of a white season?
"We would like to have the means to project ourselves on such or such scenario, and especially on our major stake of an opening on December 19, admits Nicolas Provendie, general manager of the company of development of La Plagne (Savoie).
Finally, we are somewhat in the same configuration as last spring, and we experienced a 20% increase in attendance compared to a typical summer.
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"We are constantly confronted with the vagaries of the weather"
A surge of optimism that would almost be contagious at altitude.
"We try not to have too many moods, not to launch into reopening prognoses or to start on '' if we had known '' about this reconfinement, assures Frédéric Porte.
Our credo is simply to be ready at all times to be able to open as quickly as possible, and without half measures.
We are constantly confronted with the vagaries of the weather, so that pushes us to have a form of fighting spirit.
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Armelle Solelhac extends this mountain asset: “In the winters of 2015, 2016 and 2017, there was no snow before the beginning of January.
The shops were still able to open at the end of December by storing skis to offer, for example, mountain bike rental.
This is neither the first nor the last time that the stations adapt very quickly.
But they've never been in such danger.
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