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European Ski Country Goes Upmarket
Trying to change an image or brand from value for money to exclusive can be problematic, but that's what Andorra is trying to do with her ski holidays industry.
Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com
But is the timing right?
While consumers in Western Europe and the U.S. have cut back on spending for the first time in a long while, many manufacturers are bringing out cheaper versions of popular brands to try to hold on to their customer base.
And in the retail sector in Britain for example leading supermarket chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have promoted their economy ranges in recent months, while before the recession a lot of marketing effort was put into own brand premium goods.
And stores that have always been seen as the top end of the market such as Marks And Spencer along with Waitrose have introduced economy ranges of products for the first time to try and keep their cusomers loyal during the economic downturn.
If ski holiday areas were British retail stores, Waitrose would be the equivalent of Swiss ski holidays.
So why is Andorra trying to change her image from a low cost ski holidays destination to an upmarket one, when everyone else it appears is doing the reverse?
Andorra Map
Part of the reason could be that Andorra genuinely feels it is no longer a budget ski holiday destination, but can be seen by the skiing fraternity as a serious player having spent millions on improving its infrastructure, and that it also good for a family visit.
And the view that Andorra has moved upmarket by providing better facilities for holidaymakers is certainly true. Soldeu for example, along with Pas de la Casa and Arinsal the main skiing areas, has a very good choice of hotels, ranging from 3 to 5 star, that would not be out of place in any of Europe's prime ski destination in the Alps and Pyrenees. The hotels in Andorra are better than ever.
In the eighties Andorra was very much a budget destination, and although a bordering country with France it couldn't compete with French ski holidays. Today it can say Andorra ski site yourandorra.com - and say that the budget destination is now Bulgaria. The millions of Euros invested by Andorra was money well spent, and further upgrading of the country's infrastructure continues, ensuring that new visitors will consider visiting again in future years, as well as new ones.
Andorra is also a tax haven, and many Andorrans are employed in the banking and Andorra real estate market, and with taxes going up around the world the Andorra property for sale market will benefit, as more people consider taking up Andorra residency. The income tax rate is zero compared to up to 50 per cent in some European countries, hence the attraction of residency in Andorra.
So maybe Andorra, with her strong financial and property markets, considers it can afford to market herself as a prime ski holidays destination in advance of a true economic recovery, putting herself in front of other areas considering doing the same when consumers start spending again, and stealing a march on them. A risky strategy if that is the case as consumers might well be more cautious with their money when things get better, having witnessed the global banking system on the verge of collapse just a short while ago.
About the Author
Hotels in Andorra along with Austria ski details are both available and for those thinking of having a ski holiday visit yourandorra.com for ski holidays to Andorra news.
by: Osborne
Total views: 2
Word Count: 582
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 Time: 6:36 PM -
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