Skiers head for Eastern Europe

Tight holiday budgets are leading skiers to leapfrog traditional favourites in the Alps for better value ski resorts in Central and Eastern Europe this winter.Travel search site Skyscanner has seen a 154% rise in searches for winter flights from the UK to cities east of the Alps, compared to last year. The most popular eastern ski hubs are Krakow in Poland, Sofia in Bulgaria, Bratislava in Slovakia and Ljubljana in Slovenia. The trends reflect the search for better value skiing this winter in light of the recession and strong Euro.

Further evidence for this trend comes from a recent Skyscanner poll which asked skiers and snowboarders whether they would be taking a ski trip this winter; 57% replied that they would, but of those, 65% said they would be heading for a cheaper option than usual.

Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner travel editor and ski expert commented on the trends:

“With an après ski pint now costing close to £8 in some French resorts, many skiers and snowboarders are looking for cheaper options this year. Eastern Europe has suffered from a stigma – some people imagine it to be all concrete communist blocks and dodgy food – but that’s completely inaccurate.

“Whilst it’s true that most resorts in Eastern and Central Europe are smaller than large interlinked areas in France or Austria, they do offer plenty of great skiing in attractive alpine towns, excellent value and an interesting cultural experience.”