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Destination Skiers Book Early For Best Travel Deals

By J.D. O'Connor
October 30, 2006

Travel industry insiders say the rush to book tickets and rooms at the world's destination ski areas is all but over, with most ski vacationers booking early to ensure the best resorts are not sold out when they arrive with skis and family in tow.

According to Vancouver-based Intrawest, 40 percent of its Canadian ski destination guests have their winter vacations booked by mid-November, well before the arrival of any significant snowfall. Customers are booking early in order to ensure the best prices and availability, according to an Intrawest spokesman.

Comparing that number with the 50 percent of cruise passengers who book in advance - an industry known for its early booking pattern - the number of ski vacation bookings is significant, and has doubled over the last two years.

"In order to ensure that they get the vacation they want at a price they feel comfortable paying, travelers are booking their vacation early," Erik Austin, Vice-President of Central Reservations at Intrawest, said recently. "In the past, the concept of the 'last minute deal' encouraged consumers to hold out as long as they could before booking their vacations. However, that trend led to frustration over lack of availability, limited choice, and ultimately paying higher rates. Now we are seeing a reverse to that old mindset and people are planning ahead and booking earlier to take advantage of 'pre-season' deals featuring better pricing and availability."

Who's leading the charge in early bookings? Families, that's who.

"We know that families have to plan their vacations well ahead because of their hectic schedules," Austin said. "The biggest part of our early-booking offer is that kids stay and ski free with adults."

Austin and other ski travel experts said skiers are booking their winter excursions even faster than last year, spurred by reports of early snowfall in several ski states.

"People who do this every year learn the ropes pretty quickly," said Robyn Meacham, an independent travel agent based in New York. "They know the resorts are offering pretty enticing packages to those who take them up on it early."

The old "wait until the last minute to book to get a deal" mentality is fading fast, if not already dead, Meacham said.

"These days, if you fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to arranging your ski holiday, you could find yourself at the end of a very long line - or out of luck entirely," she said.

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Comments

Hi J.D. Good topic. There is, however, a key piece missing in this discussion. In our travel industry research outside of the ski industry, we've noticed that there's a very important driver for earlier vacation bookings: The struggles in the airline industry have forced them to take excess capacity out of the system. In other words, people who fly a lot have learned that seat availability is far tighter than it's ever been, requiring far more advanced planning than was needed two years ago. The bad news is that there will be fewer last-minute airfare deals available for the spontaneous vacationer. The good news is that the moves in the airline industry are driving the more seasoned travelers to book further in advance. And as an unintended benefit, that trend can also serve the drive-to destination well if they understand how to play these recent shifts in consumer travel patterns.

Posted by: James Chung | October 30, 2006 11:38 AM

	A key piece of data, James, thank you. And thanks for reading... J.D.
	Posted by: J.D. O'Connor Editor/Industry Report | October 30, 2006 12:04 PM