Italy topples Bulgaria to offer lower ski resort prices, but new options led by Jahorina may prove best value for families

• Bardonecchia beats Borovets to top the best value adult skiing chart in Post Office cost comparison of 36 European ski resorts (www.postoffice.co.uk/skireport2024)
• New introduction Jahorina (Bosnia & Herzegovina) is cheapest ski resort for families
• Ski Resort Report 2024 finds that prices are down in over a quarter of adult resorts and more than half of the family resorts surveyed

For the first time in a decade, Bulgarian ski resorts Borovets and Bansko have lost their position as best value across Europe. Instead, the Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report¹, produced in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays, reveals that Italy’s Bardoneccia has overtaken Borovets to rate as best value for adult skiing in a cost comparison of 36 resorts, while Bansko has slumped to sixth place in the chart. New introduction Jahorina (Bosnia & Herzegovina) is the cheapest option for bargain hunting British families.

The findings of the 17^th annual Ski Resort Report come as consumer research conducted for Post Office²supports travel industry reports of a surge in demand for European ski holidays following heavy early snowfall in the Alps. The survey of 2,001 adults found that a significant number - 12 per cent/246 respondents - are planning a ski holiday between December 2023 and April 2024. A third of these (34 per cent) will be family skiers and the results show that over half of these families who have been skiing previously will increase their budget.

57 per cent of family skiers said they intend to increase their budget this season compared with 36 per cent who will stick to the one allowed for their last trip and only seven per cent who will cut back. Cost cutting plans by the 43 per cent of families who do not plan to raise their budget include self-catering to reduce food and drink costs, eating out in cheaper restaurants and reducing the number of skiing days. Over one-in-five plan to swap to a cheaper ski resort this season.

Cost conscious families will find prices lowest for a week’s ski pass, ski equipment, tuition, meals and drinks in Jahorina (£1,657) in Bosnia & Herzegovina, one of eight new ski resorts introduced for this season’s Family Ski Resort Report. Using local prices provided by Crystal Ski Holidays and converted to sterling by Post Office Travel Money, Jahorina is cheapest for a family of four (two adults and two children aged 6 and 8) out of 32 ski resorts surveyed, narrowly beating Italy’s Passo Tonale (£1,678), where prices have fallen by 6.6 per cent. Three other new resorts - Norway’s Beitostollen (4^th, £1,862) and Geilo (10^th, £2,205) together with Kranjska Gora (9^th, £2,205) – also feature in the best value top 10.

Bansko (£1,968) has fallen from the top spot to fifth place after registering a big increase in ski school prices. Overall, the Bulgarian resort’s barometer costs over 27 per cent more than last season. Ski school for two adults and two children now costs £815 compared with £465 in Jahorina and £467 in Geilo.

Laura Plunkett, Head of Post Office Travel Money, said:“Many parents taking their children skiing will want them to attend ski school and the cost of this can add considerably to a ski holiday. Before choosing a ski resort it will therefore make sense to check our barometer to compare tuition costs. Prices have rocketed in Bansko, adding significantly to the family budget, while resorts like Jahorina, Passo Tonale and Geilo are much cheaper.”

Five new ski resorts have been added for adult skiing and one of these, Le Corbier joins Bardonecchia (Italy) and Borovets (Bulgaria) to top the table in this season’s cost comparison of 36 European resorts. At just over £611 for a week’s adult ski pass, equipment and ski school, together with lunch and drinks on the slopes, Le Corbier has taken third place in the survey - the first time that a French ski resort has featured in the top three destinations.

Bardonecchia (£532) has overtaken Borovets to take the top spot after prices rose just 1.4 per cent year-on-year. Borovets has fallen back to the runner-up position for the first time since 2019 because prices in the Bulgarian resort have risen 8.2 per cent year-on-year to £554. A second Bulgarian resort, Bansko (£642), which was rated best value in 2018, has fallen to sixth place in the top ten with a year-on-year price rise of 18.1 per cent.

Two more of the new introductions, recommended by Crystal Ski Holidays as offering great value for British skiers, feature in the best value top 10. Italy’s Livigno resort is in fourth place at £614, while Baqueira Beret, the first Spanish ski resort to be included in the report, is in eighth position with a barometer cost of £696.

Overall Italian resorts continue to represent the best value for UK skiers among the ‘big four’ ski destinations (Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland) with three more resorts featuring in the top 10: Sauze (5^th, £639, +2.7 per cent), Sestriere (8^th, £699, +8.1 per cent) and La Thuile (9^th, £710, +2.9 per cent).

With prices only slightly higher than last season, the Finnish resort of Ruka completes the best value top ten (10^th, £735, +0.8 per cent) and offers a budget alternative to more traditional British favourites.

Laura Plunkett, Head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “Ski resort costs are likely to play an important part in destination choice this year as the rising cost of living in the UK puts pressure on the amount of money ski enthusiasts have available for their annual winter sports holiday. That’s why it is so important for them to do their homework before booking and factor in all the costs of a ski holiday to the package price. The good news is that prices are lower in a number of popular resorts and, where they have risen, the increases are not as high as might have been expected, given inflation levels across Europe. Le Corbier, one of five new resorts surveyed for this ski season, looks great value for bargain hunters, while Italy’s Bardonecchia and Borovets in Bulgaria remain good choices for those on a strict budget.”

This year’s report found that prices for adult skiing have fallen in over a quarter (9) of the 31 resorts also surveyed last season – with the biggest drops of 5.5 per cent in Les Arcs (18^th, £812) and Wengen (35^th, £1,260). They have also fallen in Saas Fee (34^th, £1,165, - 2.7 per cent) and Zermatt (36^th, £1,335, -4.0 per cent), although the three Swiss resorts remain the most expensive across Europe.

Over half of family resorts – 13 of 24 previously surveyed - have shown price falls. The biggest fall of 8.9 per cent is in Ruka (£2,098), which has risen to seventh place in the family chart as a result. 12 more family resorts have registered price falls including Rauris (6^th, £2,085, -4.9 per cent), the only Austrian resort to feature in either of the top 10 tables.

Where there have been price rises, they are relatively moderate and only two ski resorts recommended for adult skiing have recorded rises of over 10 per cent. Along with Bansko, there has been a significant increase in Selva Val Gardena (21^st, £843, +10.6 per cent). Similarly, just two family ski resorts have shown increases of over 10 per cent. Aside from Bansko (+27.2 per cent), prices are up by 15.6 per cent in Sestriere (14^th, £2,353), which has dropped out of the Family Ski Resort Report top 10 as a result.

Chris Logan, Managing Director at Crystal Ski Holidays, commented: “With the rising cost of living, offering value for money when it comes to ski holidays is more important than ever before. We’re continuing to see strong demand in destinations that offer great value to bargain-conscious Brits, with Italy remaining a firm favourite for our customers for the winter 2023-24 season – which is consistent with the top 10 best value resorts for adults as outlined in this report. We’ve also seen growth in budget-friendly destinations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina since it was introduced last season. We’re committed to providing as much choice as possible when it comes to ski resorts to make ski holidays as accessible as we can, which is why it’s really positive to see some of our new resorts that we’ve added into our programme in the top 10 such as Livigno in Italy and Baqueira-Beret in Spain.”

Laura Plunkett, Head of Post Office Travel Money, advises: “With every penny counting this year, we advise changing cash before leaving home rather than at the airport or ski resort where ski holidaymakers risk getting a poor rate. Take enough cash to cover ski and living costs and be aware that transactions of over £500 will get a better rate in our branches or on the Post Office website.”

The Post Office is the UK’s leading foreign currency provider, offering over 60 currencies for pre-order at 7,000 Post Office branches or online at www.postoffice.co.uk/travel for next day branch or home delivery. 3,600 larger Post Office branches stock the leading currencies and more than 7,000 offer euros over the counter without pre-order. These can also be ordered online for same day ‘click and collect’ at selected branches, next day collection at any branch or home delivery.

Ends

Full details of prices for both adults and families are shown in the accompanying Post Office Ski Resort Report brochure.