Partly due to the depression snowboarding sales went down this season.
This is even with strong early season bookings and brilliant skiing conditions.
These falls in skiers follows 7 years of successive development within the snowboarding industry, and the number of snowboarders came down from 1.1 million two winters ago to 900000 last year.
Partly due to holiday makers giving the season a miss, while other vacationers who would usually take two or more ski breaks, just took the one.
Sales for the independent travel sector fell by 15% with numerous no frills airlines slashing the no. of their routes to certain airports.
Tour operators witnessed their numbers falling by around 15%.
Nonetheless, the leading companies market share continued at a healthy 73% and the French Alps remained the most popular ski destination with around 37% of holidays.
This meant that several major tour operators cut down the total number of luxury catered chalets they operate this winter.
The luxury chalet market will see a fall in numbers because a luxury catered chalet costs more for the tour operator with regards to chefs and hosts and rent when it is empty.
It remains unlikely we shall witness the last minute special offers that were around this winter.
Whilst prices are in all likelihood to increase, prices are unlikely to go up substantially.
The next winter without doubt presents grave issues for an industry which is impacted by the events of the recession, weakness of the pound against the euro, higher costs of fuel and high fixed costs for snowboarding holiday companies.
Next winter skiers will become progressively cost sensitive, this shall contribute to a turnabout of recent trends that witnessed a growth in the ski industry.
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