New research from TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*, reveals that British travellers are taking a more economical approach to their skiing holidays this winter. Rather than sacrifice a snow holiday altogether savvy Brits are opting for the less traditional, yet more affordable Bulgaria with searches to some Bulgarian resorts up as much as 80% from last year.
Searches on TripAdvisor.co.uk to the budget-friendly Bulgarian ski resorts of Pamporovo, Borovets and Bansko have increased* by 80%, 61% and 44% respectively from last year. While the recent TripAdvisor Travel Trends survey showed that the entire travel industry will be more buoyant generally over the next 12 months, the more affordable Bulgarian destinations are seeing significantly more interest than many traditionally popular snow resorts such as Zermatt, Courchevel and Chamonix which have seen year-on-year increases of just 8%, 30% and 39% respectively. Only the classic resorts of Meribel and Val D’Isere have seen interest at the same level as Bulgaria, with year-on-year increases of 61% and 43% respectively.
TripAdvisor spokesperson, Emma O’Boyle, comments: “Ski holidays are often seen as an expensive luxury but this need not be the case as Brits become more savvy and less snobby about their resort. Less well-known European ski resorts, such as those in Bulgaria, can deliver significant cost-savings on a number of levels, from better currency exchange rates to cheaper accommodation and lift passes.”
*Based on a year-on-year comparison of searches carried out between 1st November and 30th November 2009 and the same dates in 2010
