Ski Resorts News
07/06/2020
Grandvalira closes the 2019-2020 winter campaign with less ski days sold in comparison with the previous campaign, due to the forced closure a month ahead of schedule caused by COVID-19. Despite this, the Andorran resort reports the winter balance result, which was on its way to reaching record figures, as being good. Finally, the sale of 1,634,480 ski days have been registered during the 110 days in which the resort was open, 31 days less than had been planned. The forced interruption, which has involved missing out on the key Easter period, has meant that the eighth consecutive season of growth has not been reached this year.
Unbeatable skiing conditions from day one
Thanks to the snowfalls at the end of October and the hard work of the operating teams, Grandvalira partially opened a week ahead of schedule, on 23rd November, and over the Pont de la Puríssima bank holiday weekend it was able to offer ski links to all of its sectors and the best snow conditions and occupancy levels in recent seasons. From the beginning of the Christmas festive period to the closure caused by the coronavirus on 14th March, the station remained fully operational in its activities, services and restaurants with all of its ski areas in operation.
Despite the promising start to the season in terms of snowfall, from Christmas onwards, the snowfalls at Grandvalira have been sporadic, although intense and at strategic times, leaving total snow depths of 504 cm, slightly higher than the previous winter (465 cm) but just over half that seen two winters ago, when a total accumulation of 836 cm was recorded. Throughout the 110 days in which the resort was open, the ground teams have been key to ensuring the optimum quality of the snow, accumulating a total of 23,922 hours working with snow groomers and, when low temperatures have not enabled this, 810,000 m3 of artificial snow has been produced.
The weather, with a predominance of mild temperatures and sunny days, has made it easier to maintain the accesses to the station and has motivated skiers to increase the number of visits to the largest ski resort in southern Europe.
Recommendation rate of 99% and a high level of overall satisfaction
For yet another winter, once again, Grandvalira’s visitors have evaluated their experience at the station with a high rating. The satisfaction surveys which Grandvalira’s clients complete both on arrival and when they depart, have awarded an overall satisfaction rate of 8.48 out of 10, as well as a score of 8.73 for the Ski and Snowboard School services and 8.11 for the restaurants. The extensive range of services and activities, together with the dedication of more than 1,900 professionals who make up the station’s team, have enabled the client recommendation rate to be an exceptional 99%.
The Spanish clientele continues to be the main visitor at Grandvalira. More than one in two (51.3%) comes from the neighbouring country to the south, followed by a big difference by France (13.1%) and the United Kingdom (12.1%).
One of the main indicators that explains the occupancy levels and client satisfaction has been Grandvalira’s ability to maintain its desire to improve and evolve. This has implied a significant effort being made in the form of an investment of 13 million euros, primarily aimed at the creation of new infrastructure such as the new Peretol sector and the Avet car park at the foot of the Soldeu ski platform, technological innovation, improving the services provided by the Ski and Snowboard School and the new features of the leisure and restaurant facilities; from the first day of the 2019-2020 winter season, these improvements have enabled the overall offer at Grandvalira, which goes beyond that of skiing, to be consolidated with facilities to be enjoyed as a couple, with friends or as a family. In addition, the Snow Resort has fully integrated Ordino Arcalís into the Grandvalira Resorts group, where, from this season onwards, Grandvalira’s clients have been able to enjoy unlimited skiing with any of the Grandvalira passes, offering the combination of the two stations, a pioneering snow-based product containing 240 km of skiable slopes.
Thanks to this continuous effort and desire to evolve, the Andorran resort remains a great leader in southern Europe, occupying the 14th position in the world ranking for ski days sold according to the International Snow & Mountain Tourism Report for 2019, prepared by the internationally acclaimed consultant, Laurent Vanat.
Growing consumption of online channels
Grandvalira continues to increase its brand awareness through its digital platforms. This winter, the grandvalira.com website has surpassed 3 million sessions, with more than 1.5 million users and almost 13 million views on the webcams.
During this winter season, the number of clients registered on the web has increased by 45%, taking the figure to almost half a million. Additionally, sales through digital channels has grown by almost 15%.
The Grandvalira App, in the top 20 of the Spanish ranking in the sports category, has become an essential official consultation channel for users. This winter 46,067 downloads and 796 sessions have been registered.
As regards the social networks, the Andorran resort remains a leading international reference point. It occupies the ninth position in the world ski resort ranking in terms of the numbers of users and interaction, with a growth of 10% that has enabled it to surpass the goal of 300,000 followers between Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
In order to face the future with maximum guarantees, Grandvalira is already working on a comprehensive plan involving preventative measures so that it can continue to offer the best experience to its clients next season, guaranteeing the skiing activity in a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
www.grandvalira.com
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