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France’s La Plagne Named Most Popular Ski Resort in the World
We know that France has for a long time been a firm favourite with the Brits but did you know that La Plagne has been voted the world favourite ski resort? Read on to discover why...
The verdict is in – France’s La Plagne resort is the most popular ski resort in the world, according to the 2013 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism. La Plagne can claim the honor due to its more than 2.5 million visits. It’s quite a distinction, considering there are more than 2,100 major ski resorts spread out among 80 countries.
Other interesting insights from the report include:
- The ski industry is concentrated around resorts generating more than 100,000 visits a year. While they represent only 20 percent of all resorts, they account for 80 percent of visits.
- Only 48 resorts report more than a million visitors, 75 percent of which are in the Alps.
- Most of the world’s ski resorts are located in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Almost 50 percent are in Europe, and 35 percent are in the Alps.
- The Americas account for 21 percent of the world’s ski resorts; most of those are in North America.
- There are more than 26,000 lifts worldwide.
- There are about 400 million skier visits per year around the world.
- The most popular ski resort in North America is Whistler in Canada, which came in a respectable 9th place.
- The United States claims Breckenridge as its favourite, coming in at 21st place.
Frontrunners for the title of “most popular” include:
- 2nd Place: Ski Welt, Austria
- 3rd Place: Les Arcs, France
- 4th Place: Courchevel-Méribel-Mottaret, France
- 5th Place: Kitzbuhel, Austria
The 2013 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism is a publication of Swiss independent consultant Laurent Vanat. Figures were complied based on average skier visits per year over the past several winters.
The report acknowledges the challenges of attracting a new generation of customers as the baby boom generation ages. State-of-the-art lifts, meticulous grooming, and convenient lodging will go a long way to gaining customer loyalty.
“In this globalized world, everyone appreciates personalized service,” reads the report. “Technology, and especially the Internet, now makes it possible to offer one-stop shopping where clients are able to take care of all their needs.”
