Quebec Ski Resorts Emerge From The Pandemic

Quebec ski resorts will emerge from the pandemic crisis with great sighs of relief, confirming that the demand for outdoor activities has reached an unprecedented peak anywhere in Quebec. Preliminary results of economic and financial study of the ski industry unveiled yesterday premiere, the pandemic has certainly been a crisis for the stations, but she forced them to review their're s business model, accelerate change and adapt to multiple health measures, thus providing opportunities to improve their performance. With this great adaptability, this resilience and this creativity, the resorts were able to offer exceptional services to their customers, who opted for outdoor activities in order to take full advantage of winter and thus set aside for a few. hours the difficulties associated century pandemic.

Unveiling of the preliminary results of the performance of the 2020-2021 season

On the occasion of the last Virtual Rendezvous of the Association des stations de ski du Québec, on June 3, ski resort managers were able to attend the unveiling of the preliminary results of the season. The emeritus professor in tourism of ESG UQ A M and co-author of the Economic and Financial Study of Quebec Ski Resorts, Michel Archambault, reported 6.1 million ski days for the 2020 season. -2021, a little more than the average of the last ten years, established at 5.9 million. This is excellent news for the industry as a whole because it confirms that the continued openness of ski resorts has resulted in more than satisfactory ridership, despite the reduction in reception capacities. Still according to the preliminary results of the Economic and Financial Study, ridership normally increased on weekends would have shifted to sustained ridership during weekdays , which are increasing by nearly 3% thanks to the new possibilities that offers teleworking. It should also be noted that the achievement of more than 6 million visits is the result of the strong presence of the station to season subscribers who have seen an increase in their consumption of s visit increased by 30%. These nt represents more than 61% o the total traffic in the resort for the 2020-2021 season.

While the results bode well for attendance, the financial results are less encouraging. It is important to emphasize that the small stations have been particularly battered by the pandemic, which in particular saw decreases in their revenue from subscriptions (- 9%) and day tickets (-23.1%). Ski schools were also severely impacted by the multiple closures and constraints: the 62.3% decrease was felt across Quebec.

“It is thanks to the discipline and rigor of the resort employees, but also of the skiers and snowboarders, that we were able to remain open throughout the winter. The fact of having been able to maintain our ski operations, obtaining the Emergency Wage Subsidy from Canada for the majority of ski resorts and the support of a few other government programs have saved the ski resorts of Quebec. If we compare ourselves with other leisure or tourism industries, the resorts are the miraculous miracles of the COVID-19 crisis, ”said with relief Yves Juneau, president and CEO of ASSQ.

Ski resorts rewarded by the industry

The ski season that ended on May 2 was exceptional in terms of resilience, and this is a characteristic that was highlighted during the Awards of Excellence Cocktail Party on June 3. Industry players have been rewarded at several levels:

• Succession Manager Award, 100,000 ski days and less: Annie Joncas, Mont Castor, Gaspésie
• Succession Manager Award, 100,000 ski days and more: Erin Boucher, Camp Fortune, Outaouais
• Environment and Sustainable Development Award: Station Mont-Tremblant, Laurentides
• Price societal involvement and community outreach: Destination Owl's Head, Eastern Townships - - Eastern
• Outstanding COVID Team Award, 100,000 ski days and less: Ski Garceau, Lanaudière
• Outstanding COVID Team Award, 100,000 ski days and more: Ski Saint-Bruno, Montérégie
• Favorite Resort price, 100,000 ski days and less: Ski Garceau, Lanaudière
• Price Station Blow of heart, 100,000 days skiing and more: Bromont, mountain experiences, Cantons - of - the E st

The prestigious Réal-Boulanger Prize was awarded to Ms. Michèle Beauchemin, who stood out during her long career within the Les Sommets group and on various committees at the Association. Several accomplishments can be attributed to her and to an entire experienced team , notably the establishment of the ASSQ Insurance Program. Her determination and innovative ideas brought her to the position of Vice-President , Organizational Development for Les Sommets. Congratulations to all the winners!