Industry News
In April 2018 skier visits at the five ski resorts in Scotland exceeded 202,000, a figure that is more than in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons combined. The final visitor figure is estimated to be more than 249,000 but is yet to be confirmed.
The Scottish ski industry struggled a few years ago, with skier numbers way down, caused by the lack of snow, leading to poor conditions and resorts struggling to open.
But this winter has been a totally different picture though and thanks to impressive snow totals all resorts had bumper years, with Glencoe SKi Area even staying open into to May, longer than most European and North American resorts.
“Right from the start of this season, we have had brilliant snow and superb support from our customers. We have had some of the best bluebird days I’ve ever experienced in Scotland with blue skies, sunshine and fresh powder,” said Andy Meldrum, chairman of Ski Scotland.
More than two million skiers and snowboarders have visited Scotland since 2010, generating over £182 million for the national economy.
“We are expecting the final figure for skier days to be just over 249,000 which makes it a very successful season. This is a very healthy result and will have generated more than £5 million for the five ski resorts and over £20 million for the economy.”
A look at the searches carried out on Google found that during February two Scottish ski resorts were the most searched for ski destinations by UK users, more so than the big resorts of Europe and North America.
Could this be a sign of things to come for the Scottish ski industry, or is it purely just skiers going where the snow is?
