Despite a positive result for the start of the season, the stations are worried regarding the staff shortage generated by the spread of the Omicron variant.
© Chantal Dervey
Champéry – Les Crosets, at the Portes du Soleil.
Snow and heterogeneous customers to take advantage of it: this is the assessment that Valais ski resorts draw following the end of the year celebrations, indicates “Le Nouvelliste”, relaying information from the ATS. Whether the area of Portes du Soleil, Verbier, Anzère, Ovronnaz, Nendaz or Crans-Montana, we are talking regarding figures for this start of the season reaching the level before the pandemic.
Despite this, these stations are also concerned regarding the consequences of the Omicron variant. In Zinal, in the Val d’Anniviers, director Pascal Bourquin underlines “that we have to be very flexible and hire a lot of more people to compensate for the staff who have caught the Covid”.
Last week, in the Val d’Anniviers as in the Val de Bagnes or in Crans-Montana, some restaurants had to close part of their establishment for lack of staff. In Ovronnaz, there is talk of 5% absence for ski lifts and up to 25% in gastronomy, while the Bains d’Ovronnaz have announced their closure until the end of January on Sunday. Some stations have also planned scenarios to know what offers they might give up if necessary, specifies the Valaisan daily.
