Inghams, Flexiski and Ski Total have cancelled all ski holidays for the rest of the winter 2020/2021 season due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hotelplan UK, the parent group of the brands, made the announcement today.
Any holidaymakers with trips booked in April are being offered the choice of a refund or the option to rebook their trip for a later date.
Joe Ponte, the CEO of Hotelplan UK, said in a statement that the group had been closely monitoring the ongoing restrictions during the pandemic, but said that the decision to close for the season came "as there has been little change to ongoing travel restrictions", as well as ski resorts announcing that they will remain closed.
The company is still looking to the future, and noted that they were seeing "strong numbers for the 2021/22 winter season and bookings are well ahead of the same period last year".
Affected customers can also find more information inghams.co.uk, flexiski.com and skitotal.com.
It's not the only brand to have made the decision to close the winter 2020/2021 season early.
Earlier this month Crystal Ski holidays cancelled all holidays for this winter season, also due to the impact of the ongoing uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ongoing restrictions around the world have meant that most ski holidays for the winter 2020/2021 season have been cancelled, while ski lifts haven't been opened for tourists in a number of resorts. For example, France's Tourism Minister said earlier this year that the country's ski lifts were unlikely to be reopened in February.
Meanwhile, Brits are currently banned from international travel alongside national lockdowns in England, Scotland and Wales. There are some exceptions such as travelling for work or health, but a holiday isn't one - it's currently illegal to travel abroad for leisure.
Full statement from Hotelplan UK
Hotelplan UK CEO, Joe Ponte said: "Due to the ongoing impacts of covid-19, this week, we have suspended all Inghams, Flexiski and Ski Total ski trips for the rest of this winter.
"We’re very disappointed for everyone impacted by this news. Customers with bookings in April will be offered a refund or the chance to postpone their holiday until a later date. We would like to thank our customers and partners for their patience and understanding, and as always, they can be reassured that we will continue to look to do the right thing by them.
"With many skiers and snowboarders eager to get back to the slopes this season, while there was still a possibility that ski holidays would go ahead, we continued to monitor the situation closely. As there has been little change to ongoing travel restrictions, and with further ski resorts announcing that they will remain closed, now is the time to suspend ski trips for this season and focus on making next winter one of the best yet.
"We continue to see strong numbers for the 2021/22 winter season and bookings are well ahead of the same period last year. As people think about their holiday plans now, to avoid missing out next winter, across the Hotelplan UK brands we’ll be looking at how we can increase capacity to keep up with demand—and some of next winter’s holidays are on track for a record-breaking year."
