Worldwide Ski Industry Bounces Back
The previous record was 392m set in 2018/19 ahead of the Covid pandemic that closed resorts across the world the following year.
The season marked the end of the first quarter of the 21st century.
It was a period that experienced an unexpected disruption with the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely affected tourism flows and caused global skier visits to drop by nearly 50% during the winter of 2020/21.
Also the issue of climate change took centre stage with the ski industry portrayed as highly vulnerable to rising global temperatures.
Ski resorts have now integrated climate change into their operational strategies by adapting their practices and investments accordingly.
The figures show that, at this stage, climate change has not triggered the collapse of the industry and skiers continue to visit ski resorts in large numbers.
Key Trends of the 2024/25 season
- Most countries recorded skier visits exceeding their pre-Covid five-year average;
- Several destinations achieved record visitation despite limited natural snow conditions;
- Visitation increased in all major regions compared with the previous season;
- Supply remained stable with no major changes in the number of lifts worldwide;
- The number of ski areas globally shows no downward trend;
- The season-pass model continues to influence demand but appears to have reached an inflection point in the United States;
- Window prices tend to increase faster than actual revenue per skier visit, resulting in decreasing yield;
- Two countries did not offer skiing during winter 2024/25 for economic and geopolitical reasons rather than climatic ones: Israel and South Africa.
Image c/o International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism.
Compared with the average of the five seasons preceding the pandemic, most markets have now fully recovered – and in many cases surpassed – their previous visitation levels.
For the second consecutive year, China leads the ranking of countries performing above their historic pre-Covid five-year average.
The United States, Italy and Russia also confirm the positive dynamics observed in recent seasons.
Switzerland appears to be regaining strong momentum as well.
By contrast, Japan and Germany remain the countries where a return to pre-pandemic visitation levels remains the most uncertain.
Hokkaido, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI
The 2024/25 winter also highlighted a growing structural trend: in many ski markets, visitation is becoming less directly linked to natural snow conditions.
Across several European destinations, snowfall was below average, particularly at mid-altitudes and during January.
Nevertheless, visitation remained stable or increased in many markets.
Extensive snowmaking coverage, efficient resort operations, strong holiday demand and generally favourable weather conditions helped maintain the attractiveness of ski destinations.
Switzerland recorded its best result in more than fifteen years, while Italy achieved a third consecutive positive season.
France, Austria, Spain and Andorra also saw visitation increase despite challenging meteorological conditions.
Northern Europe was one of the few regions more significantly affected by weather variability, as Nordic markets remain more dependent on natural snow.
In North America, snowfall remained below average in several areas but visitation levels were strong.
In Asia, Japan experienced contrasting conditions between Honshu and Hokkaido, while the return of international visitors contributed to overall demand.
“Overall, the 2024/25 winter illustrates the operational resilience of the ski industry,” said the report.
“In many destinations, efficient management, reliable snowmaking and favourable weather conditions were sufficient to sustain high levels of visitation even with limited natural snow.”
The 18th edition of the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism was unveiled by Laurent Vanat during the opening conference of the Mountain Planet exhibition in Grenoble, France.
The report is widely recognised as a benchmark publication providing a global overview of the 2024/25 ski season and analyses the evolution of the ski industry worldwide.
There are currently 68 countries in the world that offer equipped outdoor ski areas covered with snow.
Even if snowfields are much more numerous, about 2,000 ski resorts have been identified worldwide.
Besides the major ski destinations in terms of skier visits, there are a number of other, smaller destinations, where skiing has been an industry for a long time, or is currently developing.
The most obvious emerging destinations are Eastern Europe and China, but there are a number of other small players spread out across the globe: Cyprus, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Lesotho, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey and many more.
Free digital access to the report is limited to its contributors and the supporters of its crowdfunding campaign.
Hard copies of the report can be purchased online through the website of the author – www.vanat.ch
About Laurent Vanat:Â
Laurant Vanat is an independent international consultant holding a Master’s degree in Commercial and Industrial Sciences from the University of Geneva.
Specialised in business strategy, business reviews, management and market analysis, he has progressively become a recognised expert in alpine tourism and the ski resort industry.
Since 2009, he has published annually the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, which is widely considered the most comprehensive independent benchmarking resource on the performance of ski resorts and the state of the global ski industry.
The report is regularly presented at major international conferences and industry events, including those organised by OITAF, UN Tourism, FIS, Mountain Planet, ALPITEC/ISPO and IMTA.
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