XIII NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF PSNiT - 21-23 SEPTEMBER 2022 - Hotel STOK Wisła
 

The next ski season in Poland is approaching, and it will undoubtedly belong to a chapter. No need to convince anyone that we are in a new reality - both geo-political and economic. However, the world goes on and we, as an industry, just keep going. We have in mind how the current situation will change the industry and what we should pay particular attention to before winter, what awaits us in the near future.

 

The previous winter and the current summer season show that people are hungry for trips and rest. With the topics of high stress caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine commonly discussed by sociologists and psychologists, rest and relaxation are very important. Our industry provides products and services related to recreation and contact with nature. Certainly, despite the situation in which the world is now, well being will be an increasingly important component of our lives and ski resorts must be prepared for this.
 

Our client changes as well, which we cannot ignore - it is after all one of the most important, if not the most important, component of our existence as an industry. It is not enough that we have to be prepared for better and better constructed online products that are easily available to tourists. The client does not want to spend a lot of time on reservations and complicated purchasing systems. Everything has to be fast and accessible. At the same time, he wants to know what can be expected from the service, to match needs, skiing skills, interests and what he wants to do during a winter trip. In a word, a guarantee of a good service as well as finding niche products / services, be it in the field of skiing, culinary or whatever else you can think of. Therefore, we will want to show solutions in the field of online systems that make it easier for customers to find / book services both available and already operating in Poland, as well as those used by Europe or the USA. We will also try to show you an example of how to promote a mountain town / region that is focused on a specific customer. Perhaps it will be a good inspiration for resorts in Poland and a reminder that a skier does not go to one resort, but likes to explore the surroundings, i.e. wants to know what to expect around. The client looks at the region as a whole. The consequence is, for example, the growing popularity of shared ski passes.

 

The trend at ski industry conferences this spring, both in Europe and the United States, indicates another theme that repeats - sustainable development of resorts as the near future of our industry. Skiers are increasingly looking at and demanding ecological, sustainable solutions at the ski station. It is not only waste segregation, elimination of plastic packaging in gastronomy or electric chargers in central parking lots. There are more and more questions about how the centers save electricity and water, what solutions do they introduce in their centers? In the era of dizzying electricity prices and increasing water shortages, these topics must not only be purely consumer-friendly solutions, but also (and perhaps most of all!) will introduce significant savings and self-sufficiency of the station. Already within Europe, we have stations that are almost 100% self-sufficient in terms of electricity consumption, water reuse and many more. Of course, such activities must not only be environmentally but also economically sustainable. Hopefully, we can provide an example of Colorado resort activities that are similar in size to our home centers. Certainly, we cannot sleep on this topic, because whether we like it or not, we will have to introduce such activities in the very near future.

There must also be time for a matter-of-fact, leisurely conversation about current topics. This is a suggestion of PSNiT members that you cannot disagree with. One of them is - returning like a boomerang - the matter of the law of snow / trail. Ski resorts in Poland are reporting problems with land lease more and more often, which brings uncertainty about the shape of the ski resort after its expiry. Certainly, even before the conference, we will try to determine exactly what the scale of the problem is among our members. Another recurring theme is property tax. Here we will try to bring the DELOITTE law firm closer to the issue and what are the possible solutions for the centers. Certainly, another burning topic is the unpredictability of electricity prices, which is the main component of winter resort costs. We are looking forward to a dialogue with you, there may be other areas that we should include in our joint analyzes.

There are many questions, so we hope to meet again in a large group, only together we will be able to set the directions that we should follow.
 
See you on September 21^st in Wisła!

 
 
Board of  Polskie Stacje Narciarskie i Turystyczne Association