Bulgaria resort named cheapest for ski holiday

A RESORT in Bulgaria has been named the cheapest European destination for UK travellers embarking on a ski holiday.

Borovets offers the best value out of 30 popular resorts which have been analysed by Post Office Travel Money and Crystal Ski Holidays.

The research which is published today took into account the price in sterling for ski and boot hire, lift passes and ski school plus lunch and drinks for one person, over a week.

Six lunchtime meals on the slopes costing a total of £42 helped Borovets to secure first place, with the basket of goods only costing £448.

Another Bulgarian resort, Bansko, was runnerup at £453, with Italy’s Bardonecchia in third spot and the eurozone’s best value ski destination at £483.

All three were more than twice as cheap as Zermatt, which was ranked bottom of the value list at £1,043.

The pricey Swiss resort charges £43 for six glasses of wine and £293 for a lift pass, according to the research.

The head of Post Office Travel Money, Nick Boden, said: “Consumer research shows that resort costs are a big concern for British holidaymakers and this makes it doubly important to do some homework before booking a ski holiday.

“The price of lift passes, equipment hire and tuition can vary by hundreds of pounds.

“Despite rising prices in many resorts, there are great value options to choose from in eastern Europe, while Italy is the obvious choice for bargain hunters in the eurozone and will appeal to skiers who prefer to head to the slopes in one of the longestablished favourites.”