SkiStar St. Johann looks back on a successful winter season and is full of struggles for the future. Last year's investment in the expansion and quality increase has already had a very positive impact. The reorientation towards families continues to be the focus of further development and investment.
Throughout the winter it's been possible to fly direct from London Gatwick to Åre/Östersund Airport with easyJet, and then reach Åre and Vemdalen by direct transfer. This increased accessibility for Londoners via easyJet's direct line, combined with the fact that more Britons are travelling to the resorts via a Stockholm to Åre/Östersund flights, have led to an upturn in ski tourism from the UK.
In December, 100 new state-of-the-art apartments in a perfect location close to the ski slope in Hemsedal will be ready to receive their first guests. In addition to high-class apartments, SkiStar Lodge Hemsedal Suites also offers family apartments with a design featuring SkiStar's popular children's character, a large climbing wall for older children, as well as a restaurant and bar.
After an early start to the season, with cold weather and snow in November and an unusually mild December, business gained momentum from the Christmas and New Year holidays. In summarising the results for the first six months, we are pleased to present the best results in SkiStar’s history once again, Mats Årjes CEO SkiStar.
Large quantities of new snow, a prolonged cold period and lots of open slopes – the heavy snowfalls over recent days and the ongoing cold weather are good news for skiing enthusiasts in Åre, Sälen, Vemdalen, Trysil, Hemsedal and Sankt Johann in Tirol. The demand for bookings is high at SkiStar's ski resorts.
Early snow and cold have enabled us to open all our ski resorts earlier than in the previous year and everything is in place for good skiing conditions over Christmas and the New Year. Bookings for the next winter season are 1 percent higher than at the same point in the previous year, says CEO SkiStar, Mats Årjes
It's time to open for skiing at SkiStar's new ski resort, St. Johann in Tirol. SkiStar has developed and improved the snow-making facilities at the Austrian resort in time for this winter. Together with the recent cold period, this means that the resort will be opening on Thursday 8 December.
It's time to start the skiseason: SkiStar is opening the slopes and lifts. Hemsedal, Trysil and Vemdalen are opening right now, while the Swedish resorts of Åre and Sälen will be following suit soon. The abundant snowfall in Sweden and Norway has created a great deal of interest in skiing in Scandinavia's mountain regions and the booking demand at SkiStar's resorts is high.
Ski enthusiasts can this winter travel direct to the ski resorts of Åre and Vemdalen from the UK capital, London. The UK's largest airline, easyJet, starts its direct service every Sunday from 11 December to Åre/Östersund airport from London Gatwick. Affordable, convenient shuttle service to Åre and Vemdalen direct from the airport is now available.
One of Norway's best resort hotels is to change name from Park Inn Trysil to Radisson Blu Mountain Resort & Residences. Trysil will be able to boast two fantastic Radisson Blu Resort hotels as from the start of the season.
Smart cameras that capture your jumps in the park on film, Valle's ski school for children and daycare on the slopes. This is just some of the news from the ski tour operator SkiStar for the coming winter season, where the focus is on young people, a new modern express lift in Trysil and especially a whole new family ski resort in the Alps, St Johann.
SkiStar is now launching its first destination in the Alps. St. Johann in the Austrian Tyrol can be booked at skistar.com. The venture is the first step in establishing a ski travel company in the Alps.
We have experienced another good winter season that has helped deliver a strong financial year with increased profit and exceeded financial targets. The number of skier days increased by 4 percent to 5.1 million, while the number of booked overnight stays increased by 5 percent to 524,000, says Mats Årjes, CEO at SkiStar.
After a late start to the season due to mild weather, business gained momentum from the Christmas and New Year holidays. More guests in January, mainly due to Valle’s Winter Weeks and SkiStar Business, combined with good winter and Easter breaks, contributed to the improved results. A weak Norwegian krone has brought an increased inflow of foreign guests, mainly from the Danish market.
SkiStar is launching its first new offer for guests since adding St. Johann, Austria to its range of ski resorts. Starting from winter 2016/2017, the Tyrolean ski resort of St. Johann will be included in SkiStar's season skipass, MySkiStar All.
SkiStar has signed an agreement and will, through a rights issue, become the majority shareholder in the Austrian ski resort of St. Johanner Bergbahnen GmbH. SkiStar will pay a share issue proceeds of EUR 10 million and thus become the owner of 68 % stake in the company.
Comments from CEO Mats Årjes: In summarising the first six months, we are pleased to present the best results in SkiStar's history. More guests in January, partly due to Valle’ s Winter Weeks and SkiStar Business, combined with a good winter half-term break contributed to the improved results. Booking volumes increased by 9 percent from the start of the season to the end of February.
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 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, says Mats Årjes CEO.
SkiStar has been invited to participate in a preferential rights issue for shares in St. Johanner Bergbahnen GmbH. Acceptance of the offer means ownership of about 68 percent of the company’s shares. In conjunction with the offer, a letter of intent was signed between SkiStar and representatives of the three largest current shareholders stating that they will not participate in the share issue.
Philips TV launches a snow park in Åre in northern Sweden lit up by LED lamps in changing colors. The park will be open at night and offers this year’s skiers a brand new and unique experience.
