More than 1 million Dutch holidaymakers travelled to winter sports resorts last year

Altogether, 1.051 million Dutch tourists travelled to winter sports resorts in the winter season of 2012. Only long holidays (4 or more overnight stays) are taken into account. The average duration of a winter sports holiday was 8.4 days. The total amount of holiday makers has varied around 1 million for years now.

Austria favourite destination

More than half of Dutch winter sports tourists (58 percent) opted for Austria as their favourite destination in the winter season of 2012. With 16 percent, France was in second place. The average winter sports holiday to these countries lasted 8.5 and 8.2 days respectively. Germany held third place with 12 percent.

Winter sports holidays by destination, winter season 2012

71 percent take to the slopes

Downhill skiing is the favourite activity of 71 percent of holiday makers. For the remainder, snowboarding, hiking and cross-country skiing are the main activities with 11, 9 and more than 4 percent respectively. Luging and speed skating are also disciplines practised during winter sports holidays.

Most practised winter sports activities, winter season 2012

Majority are men

With nearly 60 percent, the majority of winter sports tourists are men. In approximately two thirds of cases, they are aged between 25 and 65. Proportionally, there is little difference between men and women; two thirds of men and two thirds of women were aged between 25 and 65.

Winter sports holidays by age and gender of the participants, winter season 2012

Henk Swinkels