A new survey conducted by Monarch Airlines has revealed that the popularity of winter sports holidays for British holidaymakers is on the rise.
The study showed that 66 per cent of the respondents are taking a skiing holiday at least once a year, which is a 23 per cent increase compared to last year.
winter sports holidays are lasting longer, with 75 per cent of the respondents choosing a 7 day ski holiday
According to the annual Monarch ski survey, the mountains and the scenery are still the biggest draw for 48 per cent of British winter holidaymakers. For 22 per cent it is the adrenalin rush of the slopes, while 17 per cent said that being with friends and family is the biggest plus of their winter holiday. For non-skiers, it is for 38 per cent mainly the lack of experience deterring them from taking a ski holiday. For its study, Monarch Airlines surveyed over 700 people across the UK.
For 44 per cent of winter sport enthusiasts, France is the top destination to hit the slopes this season. 23 per cent prefer Austria, 12 per cent pick Italy, but surprisingly Switzerland is only chosen by 5.6 per cent of British winter holidaymakers. However, while France is by far the most popular destination, 32 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they found the French the least polite on the slopes, followed by the Germans with 19.5 per cent and Italians with 9.5 per cent.
Furthermore, the survey also indicated that winter sports holidays are lasting longer, with 75 per cent of the respondents choosing a 7 day ski holiday, which is up 10 per cent up compared to 65 per cent last year. At the same time, the popularity of both short breaks and weekend trips decreased by 10 per cent.
With 70 per cent of winter holiday enthusiast travelling with friends and family and just 4 per cent of travellers going solo, skiing and snowboarding remains largely a social activity. Very social in fact, as 85 per cent of the respondents also said they aren’t at all irritated by having children on the slopes.
As the only airline offering travellers the chance to take their ski and boards for free this season, Monarch is a popular airline offered by many ski holiday companies. They currently offer flights to over 160 European ski resorts in France, Switzerland, Australia and Germany, and are served regularly with flights from Birmingham, Leeds Bradford, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester.
