France Sees Record Skier Visits For 2024-25 Season, Cementing Its Position As Skiing Giant

Published on October 16, 2025

A singular 54.8 cardinal skiers visited France during nan 2024–25 wintertime season, a notable 5.5% summation complete nan erstwhile year. With this milestone, France becomes nan second-largest skis marketplace successful nan world, correct down nan US, which saw 61.5 cardinal skier visits successful nan aforesaid clip frame. The accomplishment is particularly noteworthy because it follows years of stagnation and a difficult clip for nan French skis manufacture owed to nan pandemic. An early commencement pinch perfect snowfall conditions has been credited pinch nan season’s success, drafting a changeless watercourse of some home and overseas tourists.

Snow Conditions and International Visitors Drive Growth

The 2024-25 skis play saw snowfall conditions that were favourable astatine each elevations, pinch early snowfalls boosting skier attendance crossed France’s immense web of skis resorts. The clear upwind that followed nan snowfall contributed to an uptick successful visitors, particularly during nan important vacation period. This early-season momentum played a pivotal domiciled successful driving nan 5.5% year-on-year increase.

One of nan cardinal factors down nan maturation was nan influx of world visitors. France has agelong been a celebrated destination for overseas skiers, pinch 35% of skier days attributed to overseas travellers. This inclination shows France’s power successful nan European skiing market, particularly successful comparison to Austria, wherever world visitors correspond 66% of nan full skier visits. France has go a important tie for nan British skis market, pinch 12% of its skier visits coming from crossed nan English Channel. In contrast, U.S. skis resorts thin to trust chiefly connected home skiers, pinch world visitors representing conscionable 3% of their yearly skier visits.

Growth Across French Ski Resorts

France is location to astir 282 skis resorts, and nan 2024-25 play proved to beryllium a beardown 1 for astir of these areas. While each upland scope successful nan state knowledgeable much snowfall than nan erstwhile season, peculiar maturation was seen successful nan Massif Central, nan Vosges, and nan Jura Mountains, which were areas that had faced challenges successful erstwhile years owed to insufficient snowfall. The improvements successful snowfall conditions and nan continued enthusiasm from world visitors played a important domiciled successful driving this growth.

Notably, nan smaller resorts besides saw a coagulated summation successful skier visits. Although mini resorts accounted for only 7% of nan wide skier visits, medium-sized resorts saw a boost arsenic well, pinch 12% of skier visits attributed to these areas. However, nan bulk of nan skier visits—approximately 81%—went to nan larger skis resorts, pinch nan astir celebrated destinations seeing nan largest increases successful traffic.

The Most Popular Ski Resorts

Among nan awesome resorts successful France, astir 41% of skier visits were concentrated successful conscionable 15 apical resorts, including names that are well-known internationally, specified arsenic Chamonix, Courchevel-Méribel, Avoriaz, and Val Thorens. These resorts, on pinch others for illustration La Plagne, Les Arcs, and Tignes-Val d’Isère, accounted for nan lion’s stock of nan full skier visits. Their estimation for offering a wide scope of amenities, reliable snowfall conditions, and a assortment of slopes for each accomplishment levels continues to make them apical choices for skiers from astir nan world.

These ample resorts person agelong been nan staple of nan French skis industry, and their continued fame is simply a testament to nan enduring entreaty of France’s skis offerings. Their occurrence is not only attributed to their location successful high-altitude areas but besides to ongoing investments successful infrastructure, specified arsenic improved skis lifts and expanded accommodation options, which cater to nan increasing request for high-quality wintertime holidays.

A Strong Rebound After a Volatile 2022-23 Season

The 2024-25 play represents a marked betterment for France, particularly aft nan difficulties knowledgeable successful nan 2022-23 season, wherever skier visits dropped by 5.5% owed to mediocre snowfall conditions. This year’s results show a much-needed return to shape for nan French skis industry, arsenic it had been stagnating pinch skier visits hovering astir nan 50 cardinal people for astir of nan past decade. France’s skis resorts reached their highest successful nan 2012-13 play erstwhile skier visits deed 57.9 million, but since then, numbers had been connected a gradual diminution until nan post-pandemic rebound.

The dependable summation successful visitant numbers complete nan past fewer years, including this year’s growth, signifies that France’s skis marketplace is regaining its stableness and appeal. The 2024-25 play has provided much-needed momentum for nan manufacture and has highlighted nan country’s position arsenic a ascendant subordinate successful nan world skis market.

International Visitors and Changing School Holiday Dates

Another facet that contributed to nan affirmative results was nan timing of world schoolhouse holidays. In 2024, shifts successful British and Flemish schoolhouse holidays allowed for much world travellers to sojourn French skis resorts later successful nan season, extending nan business good past nan accustomed closing dates. From April 4 to May 8, galore resorts reported stronger-than-expected numbers, reflecting a alteration successful vacation patterns that encouraged later-season visits.

This hold of nan play helped to mitigate nan effect of a volatile March, erstwhile skis visits dipped owed to inconsistent upwind patterns. The adaptability of French skis resorts, peculiarly their expertise to tie successful visitors during off-peak times, was a cardinal facet successful maintaining nan upward trajectory for skier visits.

France’s Ski Industry Poised for Future Growth

The skis manufacture successful France seems to beryllium successful a beardown position to turn successful nan future. Strong snowfall conditions, an summation successful overseas visitors, nan country’s betterment from anterior years, and ongoing investments successful edifice infrastructure make it a desirable destination for skiers from astir nan world. The French skis marketplace is expected to proceed to beryllium 1 of nan apical destinations for wintertime sports enthusiasts worldwide aft a robust betterment from nan difficulties of nan erstwhile seasons.

The French skis manufacture tin expect much occurrence arsenic nan 2024–25 play comes to an end. The expanding number of skier visits further solidifies France’s position arsenic a awesome skis destination worldwide and reflects some a betterment and a broader inclination of renewed liking successful wintertime travel.