Increasing attendance, dynamic international clientele and record occupancy rates… the tourist season in the Southern Alps is recording very good results for the Christmas holidays.
The 2024-2025 Christmas holidays mark a particularly encouraging start to the season for the Southern Alps. According to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Tourism Committee (CRT), tourist numbers are up 4% for French visitors from outside the region and 9% for international customers.
These results confirm the winter attractiveness of the region, driven by favorable weather conditions and suitable infrastructure.
During the period from December 21 to January 5, the Hautes-Alpes resorts welcomed more than 500,000 tourists, reaching occupancy rates of 80%, with a peak of 90% for New Year's week.
97% occupancy rate in Orcières-Merlette
Destinations like Risoul, Orcières and Le Sauze show particularly remarkable results. In Risoul, the ski lifts saw their turnover increase by 8%, while Orcières recorded an occupancy rate of 97% for the week of New Year's Day. “This is a very encouraging result, which launches the season on a very good basis,” confirms Christian André, director of the Risoul Tourist Office, including the ski lifts.
“Retailers share this observation with strong attendance in all sectors of activity: catering, equipment rental, shops, etc. underlines the Orcières Tourist Office. The ski schools report a slightly calmer first week, followed by a second week in progress, with results generally higher than the previous year.”
In Sauze, turnover jumped 47% compared to the previous year. “It’s the best start of the last three winters,” rejoices Yvan Chevalier, director of the Ubaye Ski management company.
Still on the Alpine resort side, at Pra-Loup, the second week confirmed the appeal of the resort with excellent attendance, allowing the ski lift management to close these holidays with an increase of 3% in turnover compared to last year. A performance all the more remarkable as 2023 already marked a record year.
For its part, Sainte-Anne stands out with a historic start to the season, reaching a new record in 2024. Over this first period, 27% of the annual turnover has already been achieved, promising an exceptional year for the estate.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, despite partial opening of the slopes (17 out of 43 at Isola 2000, for example), occupancy rates reached 95% for the second week of the holidays, confirming the attractiveness of large resorts like Isola 2000 , Auron and Valberg.
International clientele as reinforcement
If tourists from Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes represent more than half of French vacationers during the period, the tourist dynamic is also based on a notable increase in international attendance.
Visitors from the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain contributed to a 9% increase in overnight stays in the Southern Alps. Short-term rentals also benefited from this dynamic, with an increase of 22% over the second week of the holidays.
Beyond occupancy rates, the economic benefits confirm the performance of the sector. According to Yvan Chaix, director of the Hautes-Alpes Tourist Development Agency, 20% of the season's turnover was achieved during this period.
This economic windfall is essential for a region where tourism represents 2 billion euros in direct benefits each year, with 15,000 jobs and 993,000 tourist beds.
Great momentum ahead of the 2030 Games
These results reinforce the dynamics of the South Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, which will host the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. “These figures confirm the attractiveness of our territory and the work of tourism stakeholders. An exceptional start to the season » welcomes François de Canson, president of the Regional Tourism Committee.
With 62 ski resorts, 2,500 km of slopes and a French and international clientele, the Southern Alps have solid foundations for the season.
If the weather continues to work in their favor, the region could well surpass the attendance records of previous years. A performance to watch as the mountain asserts itself as a pillar of the regional economy.
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