Operators Warn Against Leaving 2009-10 Season Bookings Too Late
Monday, June 15th, 2009
Leading tour operators are currently reporting below average bookings for next season, understandable given the current economic uncertainty and political turmoil.
However another result of the economic downturn will be a decrease in availability of accommodation throughout the season as operators cut back on property acquisitions made during the boom years.
The result is that although the choice of resorts will be little changed for the coming winter, the choice of property within them will be, and that means it can be risky to assume space will be available if you leave booking to later in the year, if you wish to travel in a busy period, or to particular resort, or with a larger than usual group size.
The good news is that a number of special deals have been launched for early bookings (typically those made by late July) and the pound continues to strengthen against the Euro and the Dollar bringing prices down on last winter for British buyers.
Operators have also been re-visiting destination resorts to negotiate ever better deals on lift tickets and other parts of your ski holiday.
A final bit of good news is that the French government has recently announced a drop in VAT on restaurant meals from the usual 19.6% to just 5.5% from next month onwards, meaning eating out will be much cheaper in the most popular ski destination nation for Brits next winter.
