Industry News
The French government announced Friday that ski resorts could reopen their lifts on January 7th, 2021.
“Jan. 7 is a possibility, as long as conditions allow this.”
– French junior foreign affairs minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, referring to covid conditions, not snow/weather
Although resorts are allowed to remain open, President Emmanuel Macron has asked that chairlifts remain closed to help lower the spread of covid-19, reports Bloomberg. Resorts are unhappy with the decision, claiming it will deny them the lucrative holiday ski season, costing them billions in lost revenue.
An appeal launched in court by the ski resorts against their government, in a bid to overturn the decision and keep ski lifts open this holiday season, was dismissed Friday. Domaines Skiables de France, which represents the resorts, filed the challenge against the closure order with France’s highest administrative court, the Council of State.
France has 350 ski resorts employing more than 120,000 people during the high season and generating an estimated 10 billion euros ($11.9 billion) of revenue each year. About a quarter of that is brought in around Christmas and New Year.
European nations have been divided on whether to close their ski resorts. Andorra, Germany, and Italy have also closed their resorts for the holidays, while those in Austria remain open to locals. In Switzerland, resorts are open to all.
France has had 2,376,852 confirmed covid-19 cases and 57,911 deaths with covid.
