Skiing is an exhilarating sport where people can travel at fast speeds down icy slopes. While the UK may not be well known for Skiing, the sport still maintains popularity in the country. These Skiing statistics explore how popular the sport is amongst people in the UK and the changes in demand for the sport over time.
Skiing Statistics UK 2021: The Short Version
We have summed up our key findings from our Skiing statistics here. More in depth analysis and research can be found further on in the article.
- The term “Skiing” is searched 40,600 times per month in the UK.
- Skiing popularity is very seasonal, with much higher search volumes in winter months.
- The SnowDome in Tamworth is the most popular indoor ski slope in the UK, generating 23,700 searches per month on average.
- There are over 500,000 annual searches for “Ski Holiday” by UK searchers alone.
- France is the most popular country for skiing amongst UK tourists.
How Popular is Skiing in the UK in 2021?
While Skiing may be difficult in the UK due to limited snowfall, artificial slopes and foreign Ski resorts fuel the demand for the sport. We conducted a keyword analysis with the keyword tool KWFinder to discover the number of people searching for the term “Skiing” in the UK every month on average. We found that the term is searched 40,600 times per month on average in the UK which when extrapolated to a 12 month period, it equals 487,200 searches per year. However, as expected, the demand for the sport and the search term in general is quite seasonal, with larger search volumes in the winter months when snow is on the ground and Skiing is a possibility. We discovered this by analysing Google Trends data for the same search term (“Skiing”) to discover when the largest search volumes for the term occur.
Google Trends data for the past 5 years for the search term “Skiing”.
As you can see from the above graphic, there is a peak in search interest over the winter months every year. This is with exception however to our most recent festive period, which did not experience the increased search volumes that are usually present. This is due to lockdowns in the UK which restricted travel, meaning that Britains couldn’t holiday at Ski resorts. Therefore, this implies that a large volume of those searching for the term “Skiing” are doing so with intent to go on holiday to experience the sport rather than to either view the sport or participate in the UK.
How Popular Are Ski Holidays in the UK in 2021?
In normal times, 1.5 million Britons go on a Ski holiday each year, which when looking at search volumes equates to 511,700 searches for the term “Ski Holiday” between June 2019 and May 2020. However, as previously mentioned, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on the Ski holiday market which is once again apparent in our Google Trends analysis below.
Google Trends data for the past 5 years for the search term “Ski holiday”.
To discover which country Britons prefer to enjoy their Ski holidays, we conducted a keyword analysis with the term “X Ski Resorts” with “X” being the country in question.
Monthly search volumes in the UK for “X Ski Resorts” with “X” being the country in question. Extracted from keyword analysis tool KWFinder.
France is the most popular country for Ski Resorts amongst UK tourists, with 8,300 searches per month on average. This is then followed by Austria and Scotland with 4,500 and 3,500 searches per month respectively. However, where most countries on our list have experienced much lower searches in the most recent winter months, Scotland has experienced more searches than usual which could explain its high position on our top 10 ski resorts list.
How Popular is Indoor Skiing in the UK in 2021?
Indoor Ski slopes allow people in the UK to take part in the sport without leaving the shores, which can make participation much more affordable and accessible. These slopes also allow for people to learn the sport before travelling to other countries, therefore allowing for the time spent abroad to be spent enjoying the slopes to the fullest rather than constantly losing your balance.
The search term “Indoor Skiing” is searched 2,500 times per month on average in the UK and similar to that of the generic term “Skiing”, demand for the establishments peak in the winter months. There are 6 Ski slopes in the UK that produce real snow and they are Braehead (Glasgow), Castleford (Snozone), Manchester (Chill Factore), Tamworth SnowDome, Milton Keynes (Snozone) and Hemel Hempstead (The Snow Centre). The most popular of the indoor ski slopes is the Snow Dome in Tamworth, generating 23,700 searches per month in the UK. However, demand for the establishment has significantly declined in the past year from 74,000 searches in december 2019 to only 49,500 searches in december 2020.
Summary: Skiing Statistics Roundup
To conclude, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a drastic effect on the popularity of Skiing in the UK as a large proportion of the people who ski enjoy doing it abroad on Ski holidays. These Skiing statistics have also covered the fact that while the alternative is available in the UK with indoor ski slopes, the preference remains with actual slopes.
We hope these skiing statistics in the UK in 2021 have aided your understanding of the popularity of the sport.