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Spanish Market Insight: Digital & Contact-Free Bookings Boosted Resort Attendance
Spain is capitalising on the effectiveness of their vaccination programme and the gift of snow by the weather gods.
By Rocio Enriquez
The spread of the Omicron variant has been as rampant as expected. This wave, however, has not had the same hospitalisation incidence as previous ones. There has been no need for harsh measures. Spain boasts a spectacular vaccination rate. By Christmas, 90% of the population over 12 was double jabbed. This has kept people away from hospitals. Every region has the autonomy to decide on safety measures. They can tailor them to their specific situation. Generally, these measures are reduced to wearing masks, keeping the distance, and presenting a vaccination certificate to access hospitality venues.
Activity has been maintained. As a result, employment has kept on growing, hitting pre-pandemic levels. Especially hopeful is the decrease in youth unemployment, which has fallen by 38.6% for under 25-year-olds. This means more secure monthly salaries. Combined with savings from the first lockdown, they could secure a steady level of consumption.
On the other hand, inflation has crept up to 6.7% at the end of 2021. The uncontrolled increase in groceries, energy and transportation prices does not match salaries. For 2022, inflation is forecast at 3.7%, while salaries are not expected to increase beyond 1.5%. This will have an impact in Spaniards’ capacity to spend. The Central Bank of Spain has revised the 2021 GDP growth to factor this, dropping it two points.
Boardsports keep enjoying the same popularity they started acquiring at the beginning of the pandemic. They are a fun and Covid-free way to entertain oneself. Snowboarding remained to be tested after last season’s resorts closures. This season, the weather lent a massive hand and sent a chain of storms that generated a lot of snowfall. Resorts in Spain were able to open in late November. They enjoyed full attendance in the early December bank holiday and over Christmas too. Indoor gatherings were mostly cancelled due to the high infection rates. Many resorts offered snowboarding alternative events for Christmas and New Year. Resorts in the Pyrenees have digitalised their systems. Ski lift passes are purchased online, to offer a crowd free ticket collection. Some shops are taking rental orders online and delivering the gear to the client’s address. This climate of safety, after last season’s impasse, has done the trick. Snowboarders have taken to the mountains eagerly this December. As winter advances, we will be able to see if snowboarding draws any newcomers in the same fashion that surfing, kiteboarding and skateboarding have done.
The spectacular kick-off of this season has helped to liquidate leftover stock from last season. Shops report good sales so far, although there is some concern about the near future. There is inflation and its impact on spending capacity. The imposition of new restrictions should this wave intensify, looms over everyone. The combination of these two factors is making some people cautious with spending. “The customer wants to buy but the current economic climate makes them doubt. Many purchases are not finalised”, says Rafa Sánchez from Back in Black snowboard shop in Madrid. Snowboarding shops are happy about the start of the season, but do not feel that the difficult times are over. They would appreciate long term support from brands. Specific discounts to sell leftover stock with some margin is not enough. Shops have adjusted to the delivery delays and the earlier pre-books that the new global situation has brought about. What they demand is the kind of support that shares the risk of buying in this environment. That kind of support will be the one remembered and rewarded when the situation stabilises.
