French Ski Areas Invest €380 Million In 2022

Following a successful 2021-2022 winter season, investments by ski areas have returned to their precrisis levels. The total for the year 2022, established by the annual survey conducted by the magazine Montagne Leaders, in partnership with Atout France and Domaines Skiables de France, shows €380 million invested. (For comparison, the 2019 financial year totalled €379 million).

After the historic drop in their investments in 2020 (€237M), directly associated with the health crisis, French ski areas, well supported by the public authorities, had limited the economic backlash in 2021 (€268M). This was already an illustration of the confidence of professionals in their industry. By posting this year the second total of the decade (after 2018), to which should be added the effect of inflation, the French operators confirm their certainty about the mountain destination.

"In 2022, € 380 million were invested in French ski areas. Up 41.8% on the previous season and 17.1% higher than the ten-year average, this amount is the second highest of the decade. In France, operators reinvested 26.1% of their pre-tax sales this year," analyses Atout France.

Beyond the amount, Domaines Skiables de France and its president Alexandre Maulin note the investment strategy: "If the figures indicate a return to normal, several trends of lasting modification of investment strategies are at work. The choice of equipment to be renewed and, even more so, the choice of equipment to replace it with, is more than ever dictated by economic and environmental considerations, particularly in terms of energy performance and winter and summer versatility. Planning decisions also include the effects of climate change, such as the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) scenarios that allow them to be modelled in the more or less long term.”