Winter tourism plays a great role in the international tourism industry. It’s booming in Europe and North America, as these continents are rich with breathtaking places such as grand mountains and famous ski resorts and hotels.
Numerous people prefer winter holidays and can’t wait for the snow to fall. Skiers and winter sports enthusiasts rush to mountain resorts multiple times during the winter season.
Have you ever wondered how many skiers go to Europe’s most famous ski resorts and how many nights are spent per season in winter hotels? Are European countries popular for winter tourism, and which places record the most visitors during the cold months?
Additionally, are Americans fond of winter holidays, and which places do they prefer when the weather gets cooler? Do they travel domestically or internationally?
If you want answers to these questions and many more, it’s time to check out the most captivating winter tourism hotel statistics from recent years!
The Most Captivating Winter Tourism Hotel Statistics
- In 2021, Germany was the leading European country for skiing and winter holidays.
- In the 2020-2021 winter, France’s winter hotels had an occupancy rate of 13%.
- The European winter tourism market is estimated at $180 billion in 2022.
- In 2019, 23% of Americans preferred winter vacation.
- 55% of Americans were planning to travel during the 2021 winter season.
- 57% of Americans planned domestic travel for winter 2021.
- 6 in 10 Americans planned to travel in the winter season of 2022-2023.
- New York and Orlando are among the most attractive domestic US winter destinations.
- 80.865 people are employed in the US ski and snowboard resorts industry in 2022.
- North America has a ski industry worth $50 billion.
- Colorado’s ski industry contributes $4.8 billion in annual economic output.
- North America’s ski industry lost $2 billion in the 2019-2020 winter season.
1. 18.9 million more nights were spent in EU countries’ hotels in the 2018-2019 winter season
(Eurostat)
According to winter tourism hotel statistics from the EU, the 2018-2019 winter season was more prosperous by 2.6% compared to the 2017-2018 one.
In particular, 18.9 million more nights than the 2017-2018 winter season were registered throughout EU countries’ hotels.
2. In 2021, Germany was the leading European country for skiing and winter holidays
(Statista)
In 2021, Germany had 498 open ski areas for tourists who love winter sports. Right behind was Russia, with 354 ski areas, and the third was Italy, with 349 ski areas.
Among other countries for winter tourism with numerous open ski areas were France and Austria.
3. In the 2020-2021 winter, France’s winter hotels had an occupancy rate of 13%
(Statista)
The Covid-19 pandemic influenced winter tourism in France. As a result, in the 2020-2021 winter season, France’s hotel occupancy rate was only 13%.
Moreover, winter tourism hotel statistics from the country reveal that the highest occupancy rate was recorded during winter holidays, or 20%, to be exact.
4. Spain was Europe’s most popular destination in the 2018-2019 winter
(Eurostat)
The top destination for tourists who traveled out of their native country in the 2018-2019 winter was Spain. Other popular destinations were the UK, Austria, and Italy.
Winter tourism hotel statistics show that these four countries contributed 55% of all nights spent in hotels and similar accommodations.
5. The occupancy rate of bed places in the EU rose by 0.9% during the 2018-2019 winter season
(Eurostat)
According to winter tourism hotel statistics from the EU, the occupancy rate of bed places rose by 0.9% year-on-year during the 2018-2019 winter season.
In January 2019, the occupancy rate of bed places in Croatia grew by 18.2%.
Interestingly, in April 2019, Malta recorded an amazing rise of 73.8% in the occupancy rate of bed places, becoming the country with the highest net occupancy rate.
6. In the winter of 2021-2022, international travel to the Austrian region was restored
(Statista)
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted winter tourism in Austria, one of the most prominent winter regions. Nevertheless, the figures from the winter season of 2021-2022 indicate that tourists are returning.
Correspondingly, winter tourism hotel statistics from Germany, the leading inbound travel market in this region, show over 20 million international overnight stays between November 2021 and April 2022.
Furthermore, the Netherlands registered 5.6 million, while in Belgium, there were around 1.6 million international overnight stays during this season.
7. In the 2020-2021 winter season, there was lower occupancy in the Northern and Southern Alps resorts
Again, the Covid-19 pandemic has harmed the Northern and Southern Alps’ winter tourism.
In particular, the highest occupancy in the Northern Alps’ resorts during the 2020-2021 winter holiday period was 43%. In the Christmas period, the occupancy was lower, or 37%.
The Southern Alps’ resorts also had the highest occupancy during the holidays, or 34%. In contrast to the Northern Alps, the Southern Alps had a more inferior occupancy during Christmas of only 30%.
8. Swiss and Dutch people wanted to travel internationally for the winter of 2021
Among those nations who wanted to travel internationally during the winter of 2021 were the Dutch and the Swiss.
Statistics illustrate that 38% of Dutch citizens and 33% of Swiss residents had plans to spend the 2021 winter vacation abroad.
9. The European winter tourism market is estimated at $180 billion in 2022
The European winter tourism market’s estimated size for 2022 is $180 billion.
Furthermore, the value-based CAGR of this market is 6%. With this kind of growth, the European winter tourism market is projected to reach $322.35 billion by 2032.
10. In 2019, 23% of Americans stated they preferred winter vacation
When questioned, 23% of Americans said they prefer winter vacation before summer.
Accordingly, 27% of respondents said they like winter vacations more because they don’t enjoy the summer crowds.
Moreover, 22% wanted to escape the bad weather in their area, and another 18% picked winter vacations because of the lower expenditures.
11. 55% of Americans were planning to travel during the 2021 winter season
55% of Americans said they planned to travel on a winter holiday in 2021.
This percentage represents an increase from 2020, when 50% of US citizens went on a winter vacation. However, it’s still a decrease compared to 2019, when 63% of Americans traveled in winter.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 37% of Americans were unsure about their winter holiday plans. Still, 30% of US residents had already booked their 2021 winter trips, and 74% were waiting until November and December to decide.
12. 57% of Americans planned domestic travel for winter 2021
As per the latest 2021 survey, 57% of Americans planned to travel domestically during the 2021 winter.
On the other side, 63% of Italians and Spaniards planned to vacate domestically during that same season.
We further discovered that 42% of French people likewise intended to spend the winter holidays within the borders of their own country.
13. 6 in 10 Americans plan to travel in the winter season of 2022-2023
As the latest report on winter tourism illustrates, 6 in 10 Americans, or around 59%, intend to go on a winter trip during the 2022-2023 season.
Most American travelers plan one to two trips, yet, 6% of US residents plan to travel six or more times during the winter months.
14. New York and Orlando are among the most attractive US domestic winter destinations
New York and Orlando are the most alluring domestic winter destinations for Americans.
Additionally, Americans like visiting Las Vegas, Honolulu, and Key West during winter.
Other popular domestic destinations for US citizens include Miami, New Orleans, Lahaina, Anaheim, and others.
15. 80.865 people are employed in the US ski and snowboard resorts industry in 2022
Winter tourism statistics confirm that there are around 81.000 people employed in the US ski and snowboarding resorts in 2022.
This figure is an increase of 9.5% compared to 2021.
The 2019-2020 winter season was bad for skiers and ski resorts worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, there were 319.5 million skier visits globally, 18% less compared to the previous winter season.
Anyways, that wasn’t the worst ski and winter tourism winter season.
During the 2020-2021 winter, there was an even bigger drop of 37% compared to 2019-2020. There were 201.2 million visits registered during the 2020-2021 winter.
16. North America has a ski industry worth $50 billion
(New to Ski) (Statista)
As per the ski industry analysis, North America is one of the largest regions, with a ski industry worth around $50 billion.
But, the COVID-19 pandemic crashed this sector recently, and, as a result, it has faced a labor shortage and customers. Meanwhile, climate change also played a role in its declining value.
The market size of the ski industry in 2020 was $3.4 billion, the smallest in the last five years. Nonetheless, the ski industry’s market size seemed to improve as soon as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and increased to $4.28 billion in 2022.
17. Colorado’s ski industry contributes $4.8 billion in annual economic output
The economy in America sees a great contribution from Colorado’s ski resorts. Statistics depict that Colorado’s ski industry has a $4.8 billion annual economic output.
Moreover, there are more than 46.000 year-round jobs, and Colorado’s ski industry contributes $1.9 billion in labor per year.
18. North America’s ski industry lost $2 billion in the 2019-2020 winter season
Because of the coronavirus crisis, North America’s 2019-2020 winter season lost more than $2 billion.
According to data, skier visits fell 14% in 2019-2020 in comparison to the 2018-2019 ski season. The number of ski visits in the region during this bad season was around 51.1 million.
19. The winter adventures tourism market is worth $120 billion in 2022
According to winter tourism statistics, the winter adventures tourism market’s value is $120 billion in 2022.
In 10 years, this market is projected to reach $143 billion, with an estimated CAGR of 8%.
Conclusion
As we expected, winter tourism is most prosperous in the continents of Europe and North America. Regions such as Austria and France in Europe are the preferences for winter sports and tourism, and many domestic and international travelers visit them during the winter.
On the other hand, Americans love Colorado because of its white ski centers, but they also like to travel to New York and Orlando.
All in all, we can say that the COVID-19 pandemic hugely impacted winter tourism in 2019, 2020, and 2021, but regardless, some visitors decided for winter holidays despite the restrictions.
According to the winter tourism hotel statistics and ski industry data, we may conclude that winter tourism is returning to its grounds in 2022, and everything will probably be better in the future.