The demand for winter sports: empirical evidence for the largest French ski-lift operator
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Martin Falk [1]
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[1] Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Innere Stadt, Austria
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- Localización: Tourism economics: the business and finance of tourism and recreation, ISSN 1354-8166, Vol. 21, Nº. Extra 3 (Special focus: Modelling Tourist Behaviour As A Micro- Macro Nexus), 2015, págs. 561-580
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
This paper investigates the determinants of long-run winter tourism demand for French ski resorts. The data are based on skier visits to the largest ski-lift operator in the world (Compagnie des Alpes) for the winter seasons 1993/1994 to 2011/2012. Using dynamic panel data models for six ski resorts, the study finds relatively low income and price elasticities in absolute terms, with long-run elasticities of 0.64 and –0.40, respectively. Furthermore, the study finds that snow depth measured at the weather station Col de Porte – located at the medium elevation of 1,325 metres above sea level – is a significant predictor of skier days in the high-elevation ski areas. However, the magnitude of the effect of poor snow years is very small: on average, low-snow winter seasons (such as 1989/1990 or 2006/2007) will lead to a reduction in skier visits of about 2.5%. The results are not sensitive with respect to the measurement and timing of snow depth.
