Press release -
Persistent record-high bookings, up 12 percent
Commenting upon SkiStar's current position, CEO Mats Årjes states:
We are embarking on the 2015/16 season with great confidence. The season has now opened at all of our destinations and we’re looking forward to welcoming our guests for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Booking volumes, expressed as the number of overnight stays, are still up 12 percent on the same time last year, and all weeks up until Easter have higher booking levels compared to the previous year. The increase is across all destinations. As previously, the peak weeks are showing a strong level of bookings, supplemented by an increased interest in the interim periods, partly owing to SkiStar Business and Valle’s Winter Weeks. Just over 80 percent of the season’s anticipated accommodation sales are now booked. Hopefully the higher level of interest in winter holidays will also boost occupancy rates in private accommodation, which has a positive impact on SkiStar’s operations.
As announced last week, we have been given an opportunity to take another significant step in the company’s history through establishment in Austria. St Johann in Tirol is a classic ski resort situated in Tyrol in Austria, in the Kitzbühel district.
We believe St Johann is a great resort for SkiStar to start with in the Alps. The resort has considerable potential for development through its geographical location, our knowledge and a positive hotel expansion in St Johann.
The move will complement our Scandinavian destinations with a European ski resort in our guest offering. It will also give us the opportunity to showcase St Johann to a European target group as a SkiStar destination with a focus on family skiing experiences.
All in all, we regard the establishment in the Alps and at St Johann as a stimulating and exciting stage in our business model, for example via the portal skistar.com. As part of the
formal process, there will now be several deadlines associated with the issue, during which time we will be focussing on the design of our forthcoming offering in St Johann.
Last weekend in Sälen saw the official opening of the new-look Tandådalen, including a new express lift and the car-free plaza. Åre provided great conditions for the women’s alpine World Cup, which was broadcast worldwide. In Hemsedal, construction is continuing on the new lodge. The Hovde Express in Vemdalen is to open on Boxing Day and work on an airport to connect Sälen and Trysil is progressing.
Further information is available from:
Mats Årjes, CEO+46 (0)280 880 80
Åsa Wirén, CFO+46 (0)280 880 90
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The SkiStar AB(publ) B shares are listed on the Nasdaq OMX Mid Cap Stockholm; the group owns and operates the ski resorts at the alpine skiing destinations Sälen, Åre and Vemdalen in Sweden together with Hemsedal and Trysil in Norway as well as Hammarbybacken in Stockholm. The market share in Sweden amounts to 51%, in Norway 30% and overall in Scandinavia 42%. The group’s core business is alpine skiing with the guests’ experience in focus. The list of other activities includes accommodation agency, ski schools and ski rentals.
