Winter Tourism Restart, Boom in Searches for the Dolomites

After a sharp drop in temperatures that affected all of Italy, the Veneto Dolomites also experienced the first snow, and within a few days, bed searches increased significantly.

After nearly two years of hardship, ski tourism is ready to restart: thanks also to the approval of the “Decree Green Pass bis,” which now requires a Green Pass for lifts, there was nothing else to do but wait for snow.

And it arrived, with the storm that hit northern Italy in recent days: since October 4th, due to the rapid drop in temperatures, the first snowballs fell at high altitudes, while from October 6th, snow also covered the Prealps at 1600-1700 meters. Apparently, tourists could not wait to put on their skis, given the significant increase in searches recorded in accommodation facilities: observing only October 4th, the peak day, bed searches increased by 46.9% compared to the previous day. Considering that the trend was already growing, the result is very significant.

Growing demand in accommodation facilities

Demand pressure in the Dolomites’ accommodation facilities in Veneto continued to grow in the following days, and searches from October 4-10 were 48.7% higher than the previous week.

Currently, ski lifts are not yet open, and the Dolomiti Superski ski area plans to open the season in at least a month, but the immediate reaction of demand is a very important factor for territory managers. The tourist destination of the Belluno Alps is one of the main mountain tourism spots (winter and summer), attracting an significant tourist flow thanks to its attractions: it hosts UNESCO World Heritage Dolomite groups (such as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Civetta, Marmolada) and its ski area is the largest at the Italian level.

While waiting for the slopes to open, tourists are mainly searching for overnight stays for October weekends, although the most requested period is certainly the bridge of November 1st: searches for the “long weekend” account for 18.8% of the total and have risen sharply, especially in recent days, between October 6th and 10th.