On the Vialattea sprint of arrivals from abroad thanks to Uk customers
Tourism. Partnerships with tour operators between January and March bring foreign presences in Piedmont area hotels to 75-80%.
by Enrico Netti
3' min read
3' min read
An affectionate and substantially loyal clientele to the destination that alternates with Italian customers and fills the hotels of the Vialattea ski area, which includes the municipalities of Sestriere, Sauze d'Oulx, Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana, Claviere, Pragelato and the French Monginevro. "The first guests brought by English tour operators will arrive from 21 December and will come even if the conditions of the slopes are not optimal," explains Ilaria Perron Cabus, marketing director of the Abc Group, active with 12 hotels in the district, 2 of which at Sestriere, with an accommodation capacity of about 1,300 beds. "It is a clientele with a good spending capacity with positive spin-offs on the entire induced activities and the territory.
As far as Italian customers are concerned, coming mainly from the North-West and Lombardy, 'it allows us to plan for economic stability for the entire season,' continues the director. The hotel group also works with tour operators from Northern Europe and Scandinavia, the Netherlands and France. "Over the entire winter season, 60 per cent of the beds offered by the Abc Group are sold to foreign customers," adds Ilaria Perron Cabus. With customers arriving from the UK predominant in the area, a small community of 350-400 people has also been created, Brits who have moved permanently with their families to the area's municipalities.
"We have competitive prices, an altitude of up to 2,800 metres, slopes for skiers of all levels, a favourable exposure, and the proximity to Turin Caselle airport, where around seventy scheduled and chartered planes land every week to bring us guests," points out Giovanni Brasso, president of Sestrieres, the company that manages the ski lifts in the district. "For foreign guests, the highlight month is February.
Incoming from abroad is thus becoming more and more important for the area, without forgetting that for every euro spent to buy a ski pass, another 10 euros are spent in the area in a mix of catering, hotels, commerce and transport.
'2023 went very well thanks to foreign tourism,' the president continues. This year we participated in three tourism fairs abroad and found great interest from both tour operators and end customers'. Guests who, according to Brasso, in the months between January and March, the months of the low season for Italian customers, mark presences in hotels of up to 75-80% and purchase weekly ski passes. "Of these 35-40% come from the United Kingdom, the remaining shares include other Northern European countries but also Eastern ones such as Slovenia, Poland and Bulgaria. Of course, the absence of Russians and Ukrainians is felt". There is also no shortage of arrivals from as far away as the USA, Mexico and China, and from France thanks to the Club Méditerranée brand, which has a 900-seat resort in Pragelato Sestriere in its catalogue.
