Winter is with us and Australian winter resorts are looking good – but the trend among Aussie skiers to head overseas for snow is gaining pace and it’s no longer just a matter of money.
It’s not a big market – only 1% of Australians went skiing or snowboarding on their last holiday – but it’s a devoted and passionate one.
The travel habits of Australians going skiing or snowboarding on holiday over the last 20 years has been heavily influenced by the value of the Australian dollar, according to research by Roy Morgan. However, this co-relation has broken down in the past three years as the Australian dollar has stabilised at a value between 70-80 US cents.
Between March 2001, when the Australian Dollar was valued at just 49 US cents through to July 2011 when it reached a high of around USD 1.10 the soaring Australian dollar predicted the increasing propensity of Australians to travel overseas for skiing and snowboarding holidays.
Where Australians go for snow
In March 2001, just 25% of Australians who went snow skiing or snowboarding on their last holiday chose an overseas holiday destination while this hit 50% in January 2012.
The stability of the Australian Dollar above parity persisted for approximately two years before dipping below parity in May 2013 and falling to a recent low of 70 US cents in September 2015.
The loss of a third of the value of the Australian Dollar soon had an impact on the likelihood Australians would travel overseas for skiing or snowboarding holidays which dipped substantially in 2014-15 to a low of just 33% in early 2015.
However, the relative stability of the Australian Dollar in the last three years hasn’t stopped substantial changes in the habits of Australians going on skiing or snowboarding holidays, Roy Morgan reports. Since bottoming at 30% in late 2016 there has been a steady increase in Australians heading overseas for skiing and snowboarding holidays. The proportion has now reached 46% – approaching the highs reached between 2011-14.
Overall, only 1% of Australians went snow skiing or snowboarding on their last holiday. The most popular overseas destinations for skiers and snowboarders are New Zealand, Japan, United States, Canada and European countries such as Germany, France and the Scandinavian countries.
Commenting on the trend, Roy Morgan chief executive, Michele Levine, says the trend among Australians to travel overseas for skiing and snowboarding holidays was on a consistent climb for the decade to 2011, closely tracking the increasing value of the Australian Dollar. The value of the Australian Dollar peaked above parity with its US counterpart between 2011-2014.
“However, after both declined following the end of the mining boom in 2014-15, the correlation between the two has broken down in the last three years with an increasing number of Australians now heading overseas again for their skiing and snowboarding holidays – now at 46%.
“It appears the taste Australians got for overseas holidays when the value of the Australian dollar soared above parity has opened the eyes of many Australians to the abundance of skiing and snowboarding opportunities in overseas destinations such as Japan, North America, popular European countries such as Germany and France and even our near neighbour New Zealand.
“It is worth remembering that only 1% of Australians went skiing or snowboarding on their last holiday but it is precisely because of this small market that Australian ski resorts such as Mt. Buller, Thredbo, Perisher/Smiggins, Falls Creek, Mt. Hotham and others must have a deep and granular understanding of the Australians they need to persuade to their resort.”
Edited by Peter Needham
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