Snow Business Booms In Australia With Mega Investments In Ski Resorts 

This optimism comes after a 30% drop in visits to Australia’s ski resorts since 2020, with ski holidays becoming too expensive for most Australians. 

Australia’s tourism industry has received a much-needed boost after a slow post-pandemic period. Despite two slow seasons, a pandemic and increased competition from New Zealand and Japan, Australian ski resorts are recording high footfall this winter. These resorts are not just enjoying the current increase in demand, but are also preparing for the future, making investments in the hope that this will yield sustained growth over the next few decades. 

Resort owners have gone on the record to say that ‘this is as good as it gets.’ There is a substantial amount of snowfall, a solid snow base and snow trails which interconnect local resorts. This optimism comes after a 30% drop in visits to these ski resorts since 2020, with ski holidays becoming too expensive for many Australians. 

The past two years have been rough on the ski business, and before that, the pandemic practically crushed the tourism and adventure sports industries. This was also coupled with reduced snowfall as a result of climate change. However, this bleak-looking future seemed to have turned around this year, as there has been a good amount of snowfall, and this strong snow business demand is projected to continue till the September summer holidays. 

Australia’s ABC News reported that Josh Elliott, chief executive of peak body Ski Resorts Australia, said that there has been an upwards of $80 million in investments in New South Wales alone in the past five years. Infrastructure is improving with resorts at Thredbo installing a new gondola and a 1.5-kilometre coaster, which is a kind of suspended toboggan run. Other resorts too have upgraded accommodation, transport and hospitality options. 

This season has also witnessed the introduction of Perisher’s six-seater high-speed chairlift, which can carry 3000 people an hour and deliver them to the top of the resort, roughly 2,000 metres above sea level. This is also accompanied by the reopening of a century-old chalet atop Mt Buffalo. 

Mt Buffalo Chalet was built in 1910 and had operated as a comfortable and luxurious stay for thousands of tourists who wished to enjoy the beauty of the snowcapped mountains, before it was shut down in 2006. Now, after an almost two-decade hiatus, the chalet, which has over 100 rooms, is set to reopen. The café will open by the end of the summer, and a $10 million redevelopment project is already underway, after which nearly 300 students and teachers can be accommodated, where they will be trained in education and hospitality. 

A private company, Belgravia Leisure, which runs over 250 sports facilities across Australia, has taken a 40-year lease on the chalet, and is confident that despite the high-risk investment, rewards are guaranteed. The company believes not just in the financial value of this investment but also in young people experiencing the High Country. 

This renewed enthusiasm in Australia’s snow business comes after the $2.1 billion industry struggled with rising costs and increased overseas competition over the past few years. However, given that these regions witness seasonal trades, most businesses can quickly get back on their feet despite the upheavals. 

In the past few months, ski towns have had several businesses in the service and hospitality sectors crop up, which cater to tourists. While tourists have been apprehensive about climate change affecting snowfall levels, these massive investments, like the chairlift, have been responsible for piquing tourist interests and increasing visitor footfall. 

These tourist spots not only offer skiing but also a variety of other activities like caving, climbing, abseiling, canoeing and bushwalking. These activities are also garnering investments, and with more capital flowing into Australia’s snow business, the more tourism it attracts and it is only a matter of time before the country’s ski resorts recover their initial investments.