A hundred international artists, eight stages, including one at an altitude of 3,330 metres, grandiose sets… “Tomorrowland, for Alpe-d’Huez, it’s the hit of the century”, estimates François Badjily, director of the tourist office of this station of Isère. Just think: Belgians, British, Americans, Germans, Dutch, Mexicans… In total, 21,000 people from 90 countries will converge, from March 18 to 24, in this high-altitude village, for the third edition of this great electronic music festival.
The tickets, which must be combined with a ski pass, sold like hot cakes, and the festival was sold out, despite the high prices. Packages with accommodation started at 875 euros per week per person (excluding transport), and went up to 7,000 euros, according to the tour operator Sunweb, partner of the event.
If Alpe-d’Huez applied to host, every winter, this festival organized by a Belgian company, it is above all to attract a new young and international clientele, endowed with a strong purchasing power. Like other resorts, Alpe-d’Huez has been facing a decline in the number of skiers for several years, in particular because the renewal of generations is struggling to take place. The number of snow classes, a powerful element of initiation to skiing, has fallen by 25% in the space of two decades, while the prices of stays have increased significantly.
The Agence Savoie Mont Blanc, which has conducted studies among 18-30 year olds, also notes that skiing and performance are less sought after among this generation and that these holidays compete with low-cost stays in European capitals. . “Skiing is less popular than before. On the slopes, we fell to four hours a day on average, and not every day. So you have to find other things on the side to attract”, analyzes François Badjily. And target in particular this golden youth who can come on ski holidays abroad.
“Industrialization of mountain parties”
Snowboxx in Avoriaz, Rock the Pistes in Portes du Soleil, Unlimited in Chamonix, La Folie Douce in Val d’Isère or Val Thorens… Alpe-d’Huez is not the only resort to bet on DJs in Moon Boots to compensate for the decline of alpine skiing, and the revenue associated with it. “Tomorrowland Winter is the quintessence of this new ski party trend, which attracts tourists in search of new experiences. It is a marker of the industrialization of mountain parties”observes Dominique Kreziak, teacher-researcher at the University of Savoie Mont Blanc, who conducted on-site surveys.
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