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2 The Ski Club of Great Britain is a not-for-profit members Club offering benefits and services to people who love skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1903, the Ski Club is a body of authority for recreational skiing in the UK. With over 29,000 members, it is the UK s biggest snowsports membership club, with the UK s most-visited snowsports website: skiclub.co.uk The Ski Club Consumer Research takes a different perspective to other market research in the industry. Rather than focussing on industry performance, the report looks at the habits, intentions and attitudes of people in the UK who go on skiing holidays. The unique analysis is the largest piece of consumer research available in the snowsports field. More information on the Ski Club can be found at skiclub.co.uk Developed in association with: SPIKE is a business consultancy that works exclusively in the travel and leisure industry. They help organisations make more profit by using data and technology to create better customer experiences. Where data doesn t exist - or there isn t enough of it they use tailored research to create that data. The Ski Club of Great Britain Consumer Research 2014 is sponsored by: Founded in 1970, Perkins Slade is one of the UK's largest independent insurance brokers. They provide expert, impartial insurance and risk management advice for UK and international businesses, sport and recreation organisations and high value homeowners. With global reach and local knowledge, they can provide flexible insurance cover that adapts with you, your sports organisation or business. Page 1

3 Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary and Highlights Methodology Response Overview How recently respondents skied Ski Experience of respondents Are the ex-skiers coming back? The appetite for skiing amongst non-skiers Sizing the Market: Accounting for the Independent Traveller Growing the Market. How today s skiers were introduced to the sport Who, when, how much? Party composition Booking lead time When did you travel? Spend per head How Tour Operators Perform Understanding Net Promoters Scores NPS distribution for ski companies Getting it right What detractors say The Travel Experience: Airlines Airline NPS distribution Airlines: getting it right Airline detractor comments Equipment Countries and Resorts Country NPS scores Changes in NPS scores Andorra getting it right? Year on year changes in retention How people choose a resort Resort NPS Scores Year on year changes to NPS scores Appendix: How Skiers Rate Countries Page 2

4 Table of Figures Figure 1: Methodology... 6 Figure 2: Response Overview... 7 Figure 3: How recently respondents took a skiing holiday... 7 Figure 4: How many weeks have you skied?... 8 Figure 5: Lapsed skiers. How likely are you to ski again in the next three years?... 9 Figure 6: Non-skiers. How likely are you to ski in the next three years? Figure 7: Did you book with a ski company or independently? Figure 8: How did you book your accommodation? Figure 9: At what age did you begin skiing? Figure 10: How did you get introduced to skiing by current age Figure 11: Who did you travel with on your last ski break? Figure 12: When did you book your last ski holiday? Figure 13: When did you travel? Figure 14: Spend per head on travel and accommodation Figure 15: Tour Operator NPS scores Figure 16: NPS scores by tour operator category Figure 17: Promoters comments...20 Figure 18: Promoters comments (2) Figure 19: Tour operator detractors comments Figure 20: Word cloud detractors Figure 21: Airlines NPS scores Figure 22: Airline promoter comments Figure 23: Airline promoter comments (2) Figure 24: Airline detractor comments Figure 25: Airline detractor comments (2) Figure 26: Have you bought any ski equipment in the last two years? Figure 27: What equipment did you buy? Figure 28: Do you own your own skis or snowboard or boots? Figure 29: Do you take your skis/snowboard when you go on a ski holiday? Figure 30: What is the main reason you don't take your own skis/snowboard with you? Figure 31: How did you buy your equipment Figure 32: Which of the above sources of information did you use most? Figure 33: Country NPS scores...30 Figure 34: Year on year changes in country NPS Figure 35: Rating changes by market Figure 36 Changes in country retention 2013 to Figure 37: Changes in country retention 2013 to 2014(2) Figure 38: How people choose a resort Figure 39: Resorts ranked by NPS Figure 40: Changes in NPS 2013 to Figure 41: Changes in NPS ranking 2013 to Page 3

5 Dear Snowsports Professional, Welcome to the Ski Club of Great Britain Snowsports Consumer Research This research, now in its third year, is not only the largest and most comprehensive consumer research into the snowsports industry it is the only annual research carried out independently for the industry. The aim of the research is to gather data and provide the industry with insight regarding not only the state of the market, the demographics of the snowsports participant but also the likelihood for growth or decline in the size of the market. This year we have again looked at the relative performance of the key service providers to the UK snowsports consumer. We have looked at the relative loyalty of tour operators, airlines and destinations at both a country level and resort level. By asking the simple how likely are you to recommend?.. we are able to show how loyal and engaged consumers are with the various providers. This year we have also asked respondents to provide us with the reasons behind their scores. These verbatims have provided a richness in feedback that many operators have not received in the past. We hope that you find the analysis of the research of value to your business and that it will help you in supporting strategic decisions that you may be looking to take. Should you have any feedback on this year s research or any suggestions for future research please do not hesitate in providing your feedback to me personally at [email protected]. Finally I would like to thank our partners in the industry who have made this research possible by sending the questionnaire to their customers. Enjoy. Frank McCusker Chief Executive Ski Club of Great Britain Page 4

6 1. Executive Summary and Highlights The ski market still faces many challenges although the economic headwinds may have abated somewhat it is still a difficult market. As we move further out of recession it is perhaps wise to turn our attention to how the market can be encouraged to grow have we lost a of cohort of skiers who might have taken to the sport in the last 7 years were it not for the economy? Has the decline in school ski trips choked off a source of new blood into the sport? It would seem that many people began to ski because their families ski rather than being exposed to it outside the family unit perhaps more support for the school ski sector is called for. All markets rely on reliable data and although we can hint at the size of the market and indicate our belief that the independent sector may be larger than some commentators state it is not possible without a different methodology to accurately size the market. It is, however, unusual for a market of such significance to exist without a more accurate estimate of its size. There are positive indications of latent demand amongst current skiers and an appetite from people who have not skied to take a skiing holiday. It is a challenge that the whole industry must face to turn this notional demand into real sales. However, there are some negatives about what is being delivered to skiers in terms of the experience they receive. Both tour operators and airlines come in for criticism (as well as praise) when we gather NPS scores. It seems to many that the process of getting to the slopes is something that has to be endured rather than enjoyed. Ski markets have also come under greater scrutiny in this report the performance of several ski areas has declined year on year as has the loyalty to countries. Of course some resorts will always provide an exemplary experience and some areas particularly Andorra have done well improving their ratings. Overall we view the ski market as being at a crossroads the opportunities to grow and increase profitability are there but exploiting these opportunities is going to be a hard job. The potential is there but growth is unlikely to fall into laps of existing operators without some hard work. Page 5

7 2. Methodology The current ski market is not a market that is being driven by people new to skiing; it is going to be for the next few years at least a market driven by people who have already been skiing. Undeniably the ski market has shrunk in the last few years - which leaves a smaller base of customers for organisations to compete for. So, having a better understanding of the people who are going skiing will help all those businesses and organisations that serve skiers to serve them better, and so become more successful. Out of this simple insight the methodology for this research exercise was determined. Who would have the best access to current and lapsed skiers? The answer, organisations that already operate in the ski market. Figure 1: Methodology Almost 20 organisations took part in the Ski Club Consumer Research Data was collected by distributing a link to the bases of these organisations which included Tour operators Travel providers Equipment retailers Tourist boards The survey link was distributed to some 800,000 addresses and almost 15,000 responses were collected to a comprehensive online questionnaire. Page 6

8 3. Response Overview The survey generated 14,600 responses in total. Of these, 11,800 were skiers and approximately 2,800 were not. The non-skiers were recruited by organisations whose databases held a wider audience than just skiers. Figure 2: Response Overview The focus of this report is largely skiers who are already in the market what their intentions are, how they book, how they rate countries and resorts and what they intend to do in the future. It provides insight and information for businesses and organisations currently operating in or considering entering the ski market. 3.1 How recently respondents skied Earlier 1, /2012 Season 597 The Season before last (2012/2013) 1,368 Last Season (2013/2014) 7,970 I've never been on a skiing holiday 2,788 Figure 3: How recently respondents took a skiing holiday Page 7

9 Most of the respondents had skied last season and a total of 79% of the respondents who were skiers had been on a skiing holiday either last season or the season before. This makes the data highly relevant to understand who is in the market at the moment and what they think of the various aspects of a skiing holiday and what can be improved to serve them better. 3.2 Ski Experience of respondents More than 25 weeks 42.2% 20 to 25 weeks 7.4% 15 to 20 weeks 9.8% 10 to 15 weeks 10.6% 5 to 10 weeks 10.1% 2 to 5 weeks 12.5% 1 week or less 7.4% Figure 4: How many weeks have you skied? Some 60% of the responders had skied more than 15 weeks and an impressive 42% had skied for more than 25 weeks this is an experienced and discerning audience who understand what they want and who are willing to tell us about it. Page 8

10 3.3 Are the ex-skiers coming back? The research also collected responses from people who hadn t been skiing in the last three seasons. We asked these lapsed skiers on a scale of 0 to 10 how likely are you to go on a skiing holiday in the next three years? 13.8% 11.6% 6.8% 7.9% 9.3% 6.5% 8.8% 11.2% 9.5% 10.5% 4.2% Figure 5: Lapsed skiers. How likely are you to ski again in the next three years? Some 44% of the people who hadn t been skiing in the last 3 seasons responded positively and 15% of these responded with a 9 or 10. Page 9

11 3.4 The appetite for skiing amongst non-skiers The 2,800 people who had never been on a skiing holiday were also asked how likely they were to take a ski holiday in the next three years. 45.3% 8.8% 9.4% 6.5% 4.6% 9.0% 4.2% 3.6% 4.0% 1.3% 3.2% Figure 6: Non-skiers. How likely are you to ski in the next three years? Unsurprisingly less of this group intend to ski but even here over 16% responded positively and of those 4.5% gave an indication of a strong intention to ski. Page 10

12 4. Sizing the Market: Accounting for the Independent Traveller Understanding the true size of the ski market is a difficult task. Self-reporting from ski operators relies upon the willingness of those operators to reveal who has been travelling with them and inevitably gets under-reported because of the size of the independent sector. Even defining what independent means creates problems those in the industry often have a different view of what constitutes independent travel to the skiers themselves. The only way to properly size the market is to invest in some large scale market research sampling the UK population in total something we believe the ski industry should be investing in. This study can help estimate the size of the market and perhaps indicate that the independent sector is larger than is reported elsewhere but we cannot claim these figures to be without bias we are, after all, asking people who have largely been the customers of ski operators. We asked several questions on the survey that helped estimate the size of the independent market. Firstly we asked people to choose from a list of ski operators so that we could understand the company they had last travelled with. Within this list was the option to say I booked my own travel and accommodation. Independent Ski Company 32% 68% Figure 7: Did you book with a ski company or independently? The chart above indicates that 32% of people who booked last year arranged their own travel and accommodation. Page 11

13 We also asked respondents how they booked their accommodation and gave them the options: As part of a package with my travel With a travel agent or tour operator but arranged my own travel Direct with the hotel/chalet owner Other For this question 30% stated they had booked direct with their hotel or chalet owner and a further 9.8% stated other. The other comments included staying in their own accommodation or at a friend s property but we also picked up people who were not the decision maker and indeed some who were unaware of how their holiday was booked! On this evidence we would estimate the size of the independent market to be somewhere between 30% and 40% of the size of the total market. Other, 9.8% Direct with the hotel/chalet owner, 30.2% As part of a package with my travel, 51.3% With a travel agent or tour operator but arranged my own travel, 8.7% Figure 8: How did you book your accommodation? Page 12

14 5. Growing the Market. How today s skiers were introduced to the sport Growing the market is vital to the long term future of the ski industry. Recent economic conditions have restricted the numbers of people beginning to take ski holidays and other factors have also influenced the lack of new entrants. We wanted to find out when the people who are currently in the market had begun skiing and also how they were first introduced to skiing. The first question we asked was at what age did you begin skiing? 42% of responders had begun skiing before they were 20 years of age. A further 27% began skiing in their 20 s. Putting those together we see that 70% of people who ski began before they were 30 years of age. 26.9% 17.3% 11.7% 13.6% 9.2% 7.8% 10.6% 2.6% 0.4% 10 or under 11 to to or older Figure 9: At what age did you begin skiing? Page 13

15 We also asked people how they were introduced to their first ski holiday. On a school ski trip On a family holiday On a holiday with a group of friends 30% 40% 43% 51% 51% 49% 35% 29% 29% 35% 20% 25% 28% 20% 14% or older Figure 10: How did you get introduced to skiing by current age Almost half of the current 21 to 29 year olds were introduced to skiing by their parents on a family skiing holiday. Although this is in many ways admirable the idea that skier beget skiers puts a limitation on market growth. The other areas of school ski trips and on a holiday with a group of friends are more likely to introduce new blood into the market rather than relying on having parents who ski. The golden age of the school ski trip seems to have been for those in their 40 s where 28% were introduced to skiing on a school ski trip. For current 20-somethings this has declined to 20%. Is this decline due to increased options provided by schools; or that ski trips have become more difficult to organise or is it a function of price? Should the industry be collaborating to encourage ski participation via schools outside the school holiday period? Is there a need to lobby government? Page 14

16 6. Who, when, how much? We asked respondents several questions about who went with them on their last ski break, when they booked and travelled and how much they spent. This information is available at a far more detailed level in the full data set. 6.1 Party composition Who do you ski with? Not to be confused with how you were first introduced to skiing this is asking people who they went with on their last skiing holiday. Skiing is a sociable and family friendly activity. Some 38% of our respondents had skied with their own and other families on their last ski break. 32% had skied with friends and a further 21% as a couple. Other 4.0% I travelled alone 4.9% As a couple 21.8% With friends 32.2% With other families 5.7% My family 31.4% Figure 11: Who did you travel with on your last ski break? Page 15

17 6.2 Booking lead time The booking profile for skiers is encouraging: 61% booking 3 months or more before they travel and only 14% booking less than a month before their trip. 30.6% 30.7% 24.6% 14.1% 6 months or more before I travelled Between 3 and 6 months before I travelled Between 1 and three months before I travelled Less than a month before travel Figure 12: When did you book your last ski holiday? 6.3 When did you travel? 62.4% 5.9% 8.1% 12.7% 11.0% Christmas New Year February half term Easter Outside of these peak dates Figure 13: When did you travel? Page 16

18 The industry understandably focusses on the peak weeks of Christmas, New Year, February half term and Easter. But more people travel outside of these peak dates and perhaps more could to be done to exploit and encourage this behaviour. 6.4 Spend per head 25.1% 25.8% 13.1% 14.8% 8.5% 9.5% 3.3% Less than 250 per person Between 250 and 500 per person Between 500 and 750 per person Between 750 and 1,000 per person Between 1,000 and 1,250 per person Between 1,250 and 1,500 per person More than 1,500 Figure 14: Spend per head on travel and accommodation We asked people how much they spent per head on travel and accommodation, excluding ski hire and in resort expenditure, for the total of their last ski holiday. Over 50% spent between 500 and 1,000 per head and an interesting group, almost 10%, spent more than 1,500 per head. Page 17

19 7. How Tour Operators Perform 7.1 Understanding Net Promoters Scores The Net Promoter Score, or NPS, is based on the fundamental perspective that customers can be divided into three categories: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. By asking one simple question how likely is it that you would recommend a product, service or company to a friend or colleague? You can track these groups and get a clear measure of performance through your customers eyes. Customers respond on a 0-to-10 point rating scale and are categorised as follows: Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fuelling growth. Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings. Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth. To calculate your company s NPS, take the percentage of customers who are Promoters and subtract the percentage who are Detractors - your NPS can range from -100 to A two hundred point scale. More can be found out about this approach here: NPS distribution for ski companies The spread of NPS scores amongst tour operators is wide. From a highly creditable 66 to a lamentable -45. Niche operators tend to score better on NPS scores than the mainstream operators. This may be because they often find it easier to provide a more tailored and personal service. However it should be remembered that although the absolute NPS provides a benchmark the key for individual organisations is to look to how they can improve year on year. Page 18

20 66-45 Figure 15: Tour Operator NPS scores When we categorised the NPS scores by tour operator category we saw medium and niche players doing better than the average of large tour operators Large Medium Niche Figure 16: NPS scores by tour operator category Page 19

21 7.3 Getting it right We also asked respondents to tell us why they gave that score. The image below shows a text analysis of the thousands of comments made by people who scored their tour operator as a 9 or 10. The size of the word in the diagram shows how many times it was mentioned and the lines show the strength of the relationship between the words. It seems that it s all about service. Friendly, helpful, efficient service is what generates a high NPS no great surprise! Figure 17: Promoters comments Page 20

22 Figure 18: Promoters comments (2) 7.4 What detractors say For many tour operators the customer feeling is one of indifference not outright dislike of the tour operator but a tendency to believe you get what you pay for. Figure 19: Tour operator detractors comments Page 21

23 The word cloud below shows the detractor comments in another form where the size of the word relates to the number of mentions. Service here also comes out as very important. Figure 20: Word cloud detractors Page 22

24 8. The Travel Experience: Airlines 8.1 Airline NPS distribution This is another area where customer experience varies from very good to very bad from a leading score of +42 to a trailing score of -53. This may also be true for other sectors of the holiday business but our contention would be that the skiers perhaps have higher expectations of airline service and punctuality they are more likely to be experienced travellers and resent any loss of time on the slopes due to late flights. The leading airlines are legacy and scheduled. The worst performer is a low cost airline and the remainder a combination of charter and low cost airlines Figure 21: Airlines NPS scores Page 23

25 8.2 Airlines: getting it right Figure 22: Airline promoter comments Figure 23: Airline promoter comments (2) For promoters the airline experience is all about service and efficiency with the sample comments showing typical examples of what people who valued their airline experience said. Page 24

26 8.3 Airline detractor comments Figure 24: Airline detractor comments Figure 25: Airline detractor comments (2) For airlines getting it wrong is not just about service and the product it s about delays about depriving people of a part of their holiday that is even more important because of the length of transfers at the other end and the fact that most ski breaks are for 7 days or less a delay has a far greater proportional impact than for a 2 week summer holiday. Page 25

27 9. Equipment Almost 54% of respondents had bought ski equipment in the last two years. Yes No 46.1% 53.9% Figure 26: Have you bought any ski equipment in the last two years? Other Avalanche safety equipment 7.3% 10.4% Helmet [VALUE] Snowboard bindings Snowboard Snowboard boots 6.1% 8.5% 7.9% Ski bindings 15.4% Skis 35.9% Ski boots 43.9% Figure 27: What equipment did you buy? Almost 44% had bought ski boots but the most popular item was a helmet with almost half the respondents responding positively. Over 80% own skis, snowboards or boots. Page 26

28 Yes No 19.5% 80.5% Figure 28: Do you own your own skis or snowboard or boots? And almost the same percentage took these items on their ski holiday. Yes No 20.7% 79.2% Figure 29: Do you take your skis/snowboard when you go on a ski holiday? Page 27

29 The main reason people don t take their equipment came out for this question as other. This was the first time we had run this question. The other comments were largely around hassle that airline charges and the general inconvenience of taking equipment on a trip were too great. Other advantages of hire that came out were getting the latest kit and damage being taken care of. Other 40.8% I believe the cost of renting is less than buying 18.2% Possibility to change your equipment as snow conditions change if you rent 16.7% Airline charges 24.3% Figure 30: What is the main reason you don't take your own skis/snowboard with you? 58.0% 25.1% 24.2% 5.4% 5.4% 2.2% 4.8% UK in a store UK website In resort in a store Non-UK website ebay Second hand Other Figure 31: How did you buy your equipment? Page 28

30 It would appear that UK retailers are missing out on a potential 34% of sales which go to retailers in resort, non UK websites and other providers. We also asked people what sources of information were most valuable to them in their buying decisions. The most important was advice given in store. Strong support for buying from a retailer. Advice in store 40.2% Recommendation from people I know 12.1% Magazine reviews 4.8% The reputation of the brand 18.6% Online reviews 24.2% Figure 32: Which of the above sources of information did you use most? Page 29

31 10. Countries and Resorts 10.1 Country NPS scores This year we split out Canada from USA into a separate category and Canada ended up as the country with the highest NPS. An NPS of 59 is very impressive closely followed by USA on 53 and Andorra on Figure 33: Country NPS scores Page 30

32 10.2 Changes in NPS scores There has, overall, been a decline in NPS scores across all markets with the exception of Andorra. 9 France Italy Austria Andorra Switzerland Scandinavia Eastern Europe Figure 34: Year on year changes in country NPS 10.3 Andorra getting it right? The table below shows where Andorra appears to be getting it right. Skiers were asked to rate their destination on a variety of factors from the quality of skiing to eating out and ski school. The table below shows year on year changes in these factors coded from light for positive to dark for negative. Andorra has increased its rating particularly in the quality of skiing, transfer, ski school and value for money. More details on these scores by market can be found in the appendix. Resort Rating Andorra Austria France Italy Switzerland Quality of skiing Efficiency of lift system Accommodation Eating out Bars and nightlife Activities outside skiing Ski school Value for money Transfer Figure 35: Rating changes by market Page 31

33 10.4 Year on year changes in retention France Italy Austria Andorra Switzerland USA and Canada Eastern Europe Figure 36 Changes in country retention 2013 to 2014 We asked people who had skied last season where they were likely to ski next. This enabled us to see a retention rate so for example 78% of people who skied in France most recently in the 2013 survey said they would ski in France again on their next ski break. This figure had dropped to 71% in The annual changes can be more clearly seen in the chart below with the only significant winner being Switzerland. Page 32

34 France Italy Austria Andorra Switzerland USA and Canada Eastern Europe Figure 37: Changes in country retention 2013 to 2014(2) Page 33

35 10.5 How people choose a resort Figure 38: How people choose a resort We asked people to score how important a variety of factors are in their decision to choose a ski destination. The scores ranged from 0 not at all important to 10 extremely important. The chart above ranks the average scores for each of these factors from the most important to the least important. By far the most important decision factor is snow people what to be reassured that they will have snow. Next comes the size of the ski area they want to know that the destination offers them variety. Interestingly price comes third followed by the quality of the accommodation and how busy the slopes are. You could consider these first five factors the big five they are what needs to be right. Next follows how hospitable the people are no one wants to feel like an unwelcome guest. Below that we have other more peripheral elements of the destination such as whether it is traditional or purpose built. Page 34

36 10.6 Resort NPS Scores The table below ranks all resorts where we received 25 or more responses giving us an NPS rating. USA and Canada resorts top the list but the best of the European resorts are not far behind. There is, as with airlines and tour operators, a wide range of scores. Resort NPS Breckenridge 68.5 Whistler 68.3 Aspen 66.7 Park City 61.5 Ischgl 56.9 Lech 55.2 St Moritz 53.8 Zermatt 52.2 Livigno 51.8 Banff 50 Obergurgl & Hochgurgl 49.1 Wengen 47.5 La Tania 46.3 Mayrhofen 45.8 Soldeu and El Tarter 45.1 Meribel & Mottaret 44.3 Les Arcs 44 Val Thorens 43.5 Vail 43.2 Obertauern 42.3 Grindelwald 42.1 Selva & Ortisei 41.7 Arabba 41.7 Val d Isère 41.4 Davos 40.5 Les Gets 37.6 Val Gardena 37.5 Courchevel 37.4 Avoriaz 37.2 Tignes 37 Solden 36.8 Page 35

37 Serre Chevalier 36.5 Zell am See/ Kaprun 34.5 Sauze doulx 34.3 Sestrière 34.1 Cervinia 33.8 La Plagne 33.5 Soll 32.3 St Anton 31.3 La Thuile 31 Arinsal 30.8 Pas de la Casa 30 Morzine 29.4 Kitzbuhel 28.8 Lake Tahoe 28.2 Les Menuires 27.7 Saalbach/Hinterglemm 25.9 Schladming 24 Montgenèvre 20 Megeve 17.6 Bardonecchia 17.6 Alpe d Huez 17.4 Chamonix & Les Houches 14.6 Verbier 14.4 Brides les Bains 12.5 Passo Tonale 8 Les Deux Alpes 6.3 Saas Fee 5.8 Ellmau & Scheffau 5.6 Niederau-Oberau 5.1 Pila 4 Villars 2.6 Courmayeur 2.3 Flaine 0 Cortina 0 Bad Hofgastein -3.4 Caingorm -4 Nendaz -9.4 Page 36

38 La Rosière Borovets -20 Bansko Figure 39: Resorts ranked by NPS Year on year changes to NPS scores The table below shows the resorts that moved most in terms of their NPS scores year on year. The top 10 increasers followed by the top 10 decreasers. It seems there is more volatility in terms of resorts receiving a lower NPS than a higher one, perhaps reflecting how much easier it is to get it wrong rather than get it right. Resort Change in NPS St Moritz 17.2 Lech 15.5 Soldeu and El Tarter 12.9 Mayrhofen 11.3 Breckenridge 9.2 Les Arcs 8.8 Serre Chevalier 7.9 Grindelwald 7.8 Cervinia 6.9 Park City 5.3 Resort Change in NPS Les Gets Chamonix & Les Houches Selva & Ortisei St Anton Saalbach & Hinterglemm Montgenèvre Saas Fee Cortina Lake Tahoe La Rosière Figure 40: Changes in NPS 2013 to 2014 Page 37

39 The changes in NPS scores show us one picture we also tracked the change in rankings year on year. Direct comparisons are not always possible due to the number of NPS responses received by a resort (it may not have been ranked in 2013 if there were insufficient responses) and also due to some administrative changes in how resorts were presented. However, in future these issues will be resolved as more data is collected. Resort 2014 Rank 2013 Rank Change Breckenridge Whistler Aspen Park City Lech Ischgl St Moritz Zermatt Livigno Banff Figure 41: Changes in NPS ranking 2013 to 2014 Page 38

40 11. Appendix: How Skiers Rate Countries Quality of skiing Canada USA France 49 Switzerland Italy Andorra Austria 36 Scandinavia 33 Eastern Europe 8 Total Efficiency of lift system USA 68 Canada 65 Andorra 50 Austria France Switzerland Italy Scandinavia 32 Eastern Europe 15 Total Page 39

41 Accommodation Canada 61 USA 54 Switzerland Scandinavia Austria Andorra Italy France Eastern Europe 27 Total Eating Out Canada 46 USA 36 Austria Switzerland Italy Eastern Europe Andorra 19 France 16 Scandinavia 9 Total Page 40

42 Bars and Nightlife Canada 36 Austria 24 Andorra 21 USA 19 Eastern Europe Switzerland Italy France Scandinavia 2 Total Activities outside of skiing Canada 36 USA 25 Scandinavia 21 Switzerland 18 Austria 13 France Andorra 8 8 Eastern Europe 6 Italy 5 Total Page 41

43 Ski School Canada 64 Andorra 54 USA Scandinavia Austria 37 Switzerland France Italy Eastern Europe 22 Total Value for money Andorra 48 Eastern Europe 45 Italy 35 Canada 32 USA Austria France Scandinavia Switzerland 18 Total Page 42

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45 facebook.com/theskiclub youtube.com/thesnowcast Ski Club of Great Britain The White House Church Road Wimbledon London SW19 5SB skiclub.co.uk Page 44 T +44 (0) F +44 (0) [email protected]