2021-22 Ski Season: 6.3 Million Visits For Quebec

More than 420 players from the Quebec ski industry gathered this week at the Annual Congress of Quebec Ski Resorts, presented by Doppelmayr, at the Delta Mont-Sainte-Anne.

The event was held with an air of reunion, marked by a record presence of participants and ski resorts present (49), from 14 tourist regions. With the theme The human dimension at the heart of our actions, the congress hosted various conferences and workshops focusing in particular on solutions to human resources issues, climate change and clientele renewal.

More than 50 exhibitors came to present their products and innovations for the next season at a trade show. 2021-2022 season: evocative preliminary results The preliminary results of the 34th Economic and Financial Study of Ski Resorts, presented by Michel Archambault, Ph.D. consultant and Professor Emeritus in Tourism at ESG UQAM, evoke another impressive performance of ski resorts: 6, 3 million visits were recorded last season, an increase of 3% compared to 2020-2021.

The 2021-2022 season thus ranks second among the busiest seasons in the past 10 years. Considering the context of the second year in “pandemic” mode, the author reports that the proportion of subscriber visits (60%) compared to daily visits (40%) has remained stable since 2020-2021. The eastern regions of Quebec experienced a large increase (+22%) in attendance this winter, a result associated with the heavy snowfall last season and the new products offered in this territory. Economic prospects and adaptation to labor shortages

Faced with the unstable economic context, Mia Homsy and Simon Savard, from the Institut du Québec, presented a conference on the economic outlook for the upcoming winter season. According to their analysis, Quebec household savings will continue to drive growth in demand for winter sports for the next ski season.

In addition, several other speakers explained to the participants that, more than ever, Quebec must adapt to the labor shortage because no significant expansion of the labor pool is expected on the horizon. Ski resorts are already busy implementing innovative solutions, in particular by using new technological tools for ticket sales, snowmaking and human resources management.

Highlighting excellence in the ski industry The Excellence Awards were given to industry players who have distinguished themselves at various levels in their environment. The highest distinction in Quebec, the Prix Réal-Boulanger, was awarded to Mr. Eddy Zajac, claims adjuster in the ski industry for 30 years. Mr. Zajac made his mark on the industry with the establishment of the ASSQ Insurance Program.

Several resorts and ski industry leaders were honored in the following categories:

• COVID-19 team: Gleason (Centre-du-Québec)
• Risk management (100,000 ski-days and less): Ski Garceau (Lanaudière)
• Risk management (100,000 ski-days and more): Ski Saint-Bruno (Montérégie)
• Succession managers: Stéphanie Grenier, marketing director, Ski Saint-Bruno (Montérégie) and Marc-André Meunier, marketing director, Bromont, montagne d’experiences (Eastern Townships)
• Environment and sustainable development: Mont-Orford, (Eastern Townships)