The Swedish mountains continue to attract during the pandemic, and the pressure on ski resorts is high ahead of the sports holiday weeks.
– Swedes book the places that Norwegians and Danes usually book, says Skistar CEO Stefan Sjöstrand.
All four sports holiday weeks – weeks 7 to 10 – have a high occupancy rate at both Skistar, with facilities in Sälen, Åre and Vemdalen, among others, and Idre Fjäll. This is despite the fact that the entry ban is stopping foreign visitors who usually come primarily from Norway and Denmark.
– We see that there is a very strong demand for domestic tourism, says Stefan Sjöstrand.
Tommy Halvarsson, marketing and sales manager at Idre Fjäll, expects all four weeks to be fully booked – week 9 is almost completely full already.
– It's only week 7 where we're a little behind in the booking rate compared to last year. Otherwise, we're ahead, there's been more pressure this year compared to before, says Halvarsson.
He notes that week 9 was already fully booked in October–November:
– I think you want to be out in good time because there is uncertainty about whether you can get to the Alps or not, as well as the trend that more people want to discover the Swedish mountains continues.
Many Swedes also went to the mountains during Christmas and New Year. Tommy Halvarsson believes that these experiences have led people to feel more confident that a holiday in the mountains does not have to lead to increased spread of infection.
– The efforts we made together with the region did not result in an increase in the number of ill-health cases – the burden on healthcare did not increase. I feel humbled by the continued full weeks, but also confident in the measures we have taken so far.
Skistar also believes it can offer corona-safe facilities.
– We have had intensive preparations with the healthcare sector, the county administrative board, the municipality and the Public Health Agency on how to ensure a safe experience for our guests and our staff. And it has actually been shown that 85 percent of our guests during Christmas and New Year felt safe and secure at our facilities, says Stefan Sjöstrand.
Among the measures the ski industry has taken is to offer guests a virtually contactless stay. Guests check in by picking up a key in an envelope and can have both ski equipment and groceries delivered to their accommodation.
– Then we are quick to find solutions for how we can best control the flows connected to the lifts. We have used a drone to see how people move and how we should spread them out, says Tommy Halvarsson.
The heated cabins are closed at the facilities and Skistar will also continue with extended evening and morning skiing, to spread out the guests.
– Then, unfortunately, we had staff who couldn't help but party, and we have also highlighted that this is not okay. All of these measures have worked, and it feels very safe, says Sjöstrand.
The appeal of the mountains isn't just evident during the holidays. Spring and winter are starting to be booked up – as is summer.
– It started as early as 2017, that vacationing at home was a trend. We also saw it this summer. The corona pandemic has changed the conditions for travel, but I also think that many people have discovered how fantastic it is to vacation at home in beautiful Sweden, says Stefan Sjöstrand.
He also takes the opportunity to send a message to future mountain travelers:
– Stay home if you are sick. Pack a packed lunch so you don't stop on the road unnecessarily. You have to plan and think the whole way.
Source:svd.se
