A small number of major stations alone make account for more than half of tourist arrivals in France. And this phenomenon should intensify with regard to the capacity of these resorts to renew their leisure supply: most have or will create another major offer that is not ski.
Of the 293 ski resorts in France, the thirty biggest in terms of turnover accounted for 57.7% of occupancy last year, or a total of 31,903,916 ski days. These resorts all belong to ski areas that allow them to attract vacationers by reporting increasing numbers of ski trails. For example, the 3 Valleys area, in Savoy (one of the biggest worldwide), has eight resorts and offers skiers 600 kilometers of trails. These include Les Ménuires, Courchevel, Méribel and Val-Thorens, which are all among the top 15 French resorts.
The following chart represents the number of ski days in winter 2013/2014 in the thirty biggest resorts, as well as the areas they belong to and the number of trails accessible. Each of these stations has more than 500,000 ski days per year, and fourteen of them cater to more than a million.
h2#infogram{font-size:22px;text-align:center}
Kilometers of trails accessible in the area and number of ski days at France's largest stations
This popularity has nonetheless not prevented resorts from seeing their occupancy rates stagnate in recent years, and even drop in less snowy years. As visitors seek a greater variety of activities and less intensive skiing, resorts are trying to reinvent themselves by offering travelers increasing numbers of activities and leisure equipment. They thus wish to stand out among other resorts and attract visitors with their particularities.
Half of these major stations thus created aquatic facilities with swimming pools and wellness areas to attract all types of clientele (examples: Les Bruyères in Ménuires, Forme d'O in Châtel and Le Signal in Saisies, which opened this year), and two are still in the pipeline in Courchevel and Valmorel. Saisies emphasizes its 120 kilometers of cross country trails, La Plagne its Olympic bobsledding track and Méribel its Olympic Park. The resort...
The following chart represents the number of ski days in winter 2013/2014 in the thirty biggest resorts, as well as the areas they belong to and the number of trails accessible. Each of these stations has more than 500,000 ski days per year, and fourteen of them cater to more than a million.
h2#infogram{font-size:22px;text-align:center}
Kilometers of trails accessible in the area and number of ski days at France's largest stations
This popularity has nonetheless not prevented resorts from seeing their occupancy rates stagnate in recent years, and even drop in less snowy years. As visitors seek a greater variety of activities and less intensive skiing, resorts are trying to reinvent themselves by offering travelers increasing numbers of activities and leisure equipment. They thus wish to stand out among other resorts and attract visitors with their particularities.
Half of these major stations thus created aquatic facilities with swimming pools and wellness areas to attract all types of clientele (examples: Les Bruyères in Ménuires, Forme d'O in Châtel and Le Signal in Saisies, which opened this year), and two are still in the pipeline in Courchevel and Valmorel. Saisies emphasizes its 120 kilometers of cross country trails, La Plagne its Olympic bobsledding track and Méribel its Olympic Park. The resort...
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