Skiers and snowboarders who had already booked to travel with Inghams, Esprit, Ski Total and Flexiski this December 2020 are being informed their holidays have been suspended.
The news comes shortly after another long-established ski company, Interski, which specialises in Italy, announced it was cancelling ALL holidays for the 20/21 season but says it is already taking bookings for the following season.
The good news for Inghams, Esprit, Ski Total and Flexiski customers is they can either get a refund or move their holiday to later this season, or the 21/22 season.
For anyone booking to go skiing and snowboarding in the New Year the four ski companies, part of Hotelplan, are already offering some great deals to resorts such as La Plagne in France, Livigno in Italy, Zermatt in Switzerland and Obergurgl in Austria. For full details on these offers, go to the Skier & Snowboarder magazine Special Offers section by CLICKING HERE.
Joe Ponte, Hotelplan UK CEO explained why this latest decision has been made. He said: “Following the commencement of another lockdown and the continued uncertainty regarding travel restrictions for the remainder of 2020–we have regretfully made the extremely difficult decision to suspend all ski and Lapland holidays departing in December 2020 across our Inghams, Esprit, Ski Total and Flexiski programmes.
“We know that this will come as an enormous disappointment to our customers, therefore it is not a decision we have taken lightly. Most importantly, the safety of our guests and our staff continues to be our top priority. Therefore, with the ongoing restrictions across the UK and Europe, combined with the unpredictable and constantly evolving situation of COVID-19, this is sadly the right decision.
“We are still hopeful that we will have a ski season this winter, albeit with a later start. As the situation with COVID-19 changes, we are constantly reviewing what this means for our winter programme–and looking at how we can continue to deliver the ski holidays people want, as safely as possible.
“We have gone on sale early for the winter 2021/22 ski season. For those customers who have been impacted, we hope they will choose to join us then or later this winter instead, but if they would prefer to receive a refund, we will arrange this.
“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience throughout these uncertain times. We also hope to reassure everyone planning to travel with us that we intend to continue do the right thing by our customers with the help of the measures we’ve set out in our ‘In Safe Hands’ campaign.”
Hotelplan booking trends show that in the last four weeks, March is the most popular month for ski and snowboard holidays in the New Year, closely followed by April and then February.
The company has already seen many customers with bookings in December 2020 postponing their holidays to next winter or later this season.
A Hotelplan spokesperson said: “We are expecting the conversion rate for customers moving their bookings to later this winter or next to be around 60% based on behaviour so far.”
Hotelplan’s decision follows similar announcements from other UK ski companies including Crystal which decided not to run any chalet holidays this season because of the difficulties caused by Covid and the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
Crystal Ski is still optimistic about the coming season and a spokesperson recently stated: “As the current Government regulations in England are in place until 2 December, and our season kicks off with first flights departing on 12 December, all our ski holidays are still scheduled to operate as planned.
“We’re keeping a close eye on the situation and we will proactively contact customers, if their holidays are impacted, closer to the time of departure and offer them a range of flexible options.
“With still a month to go until the start of the ski season, we’re working hard to remain flexible, so we can react to the ever-changing situation and take as many people to the mountains as we can. “We know this can be unsettling for customers, so those with holidays this season also have the option to amend their holiday for free to a later date or future season. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff remains our highest priority.”
Interski, which is known predominantly as a school’s operator, also made it’s decision to protect its clients. MD Rob McIntosh said the company had been actively monitoring the development of the coronavirus situation both within the UK and in Italy, where it exclusively operates.
He added: “Unfortunately, the situation has not improved as we had all hoped. We have given a great deal of consideration to the various government restrictions on travel and tourism, and how to mitigate them, whether that be quarantine requirements or indeed advice from the FCDO, as well as in-resort limitations on the various activities.
“Ultimately, the safety and enjoyment of our clients are of paramount importance and alas we feel that we cannot ensure this, nor meet the high standards of service to which our clients are accustomed. As a result of these restrictions and the trajectory of the Covid-19 situation across Europe we have made the exceptionally difficult decision to cancel all bookings for the Winter 2020/21 season. All of our clients have been given the option to either defer their booking to the following winter season or if they prefer, to have a full refund.
“The current situation is negatively impacting all countries, economies and individuals around the world and few people are unaffected. However, we have worked successfully in the Aosta Valley for nearly 40 years and we firmly intend to turn our attention towards Winter 2021/22 and another 40 years. As a company, we are fortunate in that our decades of success will allow us to weather the current storm and guarantee our return to normal activities from a position of strength.
“On behalf of myself and the whole Interski team, I would like to wish all of our clients, suppliers and staff the very best in these challenging times and to thank them for their ongoing support. We hope to see you soon in the beautiful Aosta Valley.
Categories: Holiday News & Special Offers, News