According to a survey conducted by Tecnè for Federalberghi, 5,9 million tourists opted for a ski week, with 600 thousand of them also adding one or more weekends on the snow. Another 2,3 million instead decided to limit themselves to short weekend stays.
The preference for Italian destinations is clear: only 3,9% chose a ski week abroad. Northern Italy remains the most popular area, welcoming 73,7% of tourists, while 22,3% opted for the Center-South. Among the most popular regions are Piedmont, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy and Veneto.
The average budget for a ski week, including accommodation, transport, meals, ski passes, ski lessons and entertainment, is around 675 euros per person. Expenses are mainly divided between food (28,9%), accommodation (28%), transport (19,6%), shopping (9%) and recreational activities (14,5%). For those who chose to spend only the weekend in the mountains, the average expense was 273 euros, while for those who combined the weekend and ski week, the amount rose to 371 euros.
As for accommodation solutions, hotels are the preferred choice for 36,2% of travellers, followed by bed & breakfasts (22,8%) and relatives' or friends' houses (15,6%). Direct booking via website, telephone or e-mail is confirmed as the most used method, chosen by 53,2% of guests.
The criteria that influence the choice of destination include natural beauty (73,2%), the availability of recreational activities and ease of access (23%), as well as the emotional bond with places usually frequented for the ski week (20,8%). 20,5% of vacationers choose the mountains also for the opportunities for sports and relaxation.
The analysis shows a slight decline compared to the previous year, with a reduction in the number of Italians on ski weeks from 6,5 to 5,9 million and a more modest decrease for weekends on the snow, down from 2,4 to 2,3 million. The causes of this decline include a less favorable calendar, with fewer long weekends and holidays concentrated in periods less suitable for winter tourism, and economic difficulties due to the increase in the cost of living. However, the trend indicates that many Italians have preferred shorter stays and closer destinations to optimize their budget, confirming the strong appeal of the mountains even for short vacations.
