French Ski Resorts Drive €555 Million Investment Push in 2025 to Modernise and Diversify Offerings

French ski resorts continued to demonstrate a strong commitment to infrastructure development in 2025, investing €555 million in modernisation, visitor facilities, and diversification projects. The annual survey conducted by Montagne Leaders, in collaboration with Atout France and Domaines Skiables de France, indicates that this level of spending is consistent with 2024 figures and represents 50% more than the ten-year average. This sustained investment underscores the sector’s long-term focus on enhancing visitor experience, modernising infrastructure, and strengthening financial resilience.

Measured as a proportion of turnover, these investments amount to 32% of pre-tax revenue, nine points above the decade-long average, reflecting a strategic approach where revenue is reinvested to maintain competitiveness, improve facilities, and expand service offerings.

Long-Term Trends Highlight Growing Investment Intensity

Over the past decade, French ski areas have steadily increased the share of their revenue dedicated to capital projects. Rising project complexity, more stringent regulations, and higher costs for equipment and construction have contributed to this trend. Between 2019 and 2025, the price of installing new detachable chairlifts increased faster than ski pass prices, requiring resorts to carefully balance expansion and financial sustainability.

Ski area operators now measure performance not only in terms of skier numbers but also in their ability to maintain steady investment while managing climate variability, operational costs, and mature markets. Efficiency, long-term sustainability, and diversification of services have become central to the sector’s strategic planning.

Lift Installations Remain a Major Focus

New lift projects accounted for half of total 2025 investment, amounting to €281 million across 48 installations. Half of these were conveyor belts, reflecting an emphasis on beginner areas and learning zones designed to attract newcomers and families. These investments aim to broaden the visitor base, enhance accessibility, and encourage long-term engagement with mountain sports.

The remaining 24 projects included gondola lifts, chairlifts, and traditional ski lifts, averaging €11 million per project. The higher cost of these installations is due to the construction of associated stations and the increased share of gondola developments. Gondola lifts also offer multi-season functionality, enabling summer tourism activities such as hiking, biking, and sightseeing, supporting year-round revenue generation.

Reception and Multi-Service Buildings Expand Rapidly

Investment in reception and multi-service buildings reached €62 million in 2025, the most dynamic category of expenditure. Facilities included mountain restaurants, reception centres, restrooms, and lockers, designed to enhance visitor comfort, structure visitor flow, and extend dwell time.

Spending in this segment increased 80% above the five-year average and 125% above the ten-year average, indicating a strategic shift toward supporting ancillary revenue streams. Many of these facilities are designed for year-round use, supporting summer tourism and off-season events, reflecting the sector’s effort to become four-season destinations.

Maintenance and Optimisation Strengthen Existing Assets

In addition to new construction, ski resorts invested €71 million in optimising and maintaining existing infrastructure across nearly 100 stations. Over 220 interventions were carried out, focusing on safety, performance, and equipment longevity.

This selective approach prioritises reliability and operational efficiency over expansion, ensuring long-term sustainability while controlling operational costs. The combination of lift upgrades and enhanced reception infrastructure underlines the sector’s strategy to improve visitor accessibility and experience while extending the functional life of assets.

Economic Significance of Ski Areas

The ski sector remains a critical economic engine for mountain regions. More than 120,000 jobs are directly linked to ski area operations, with tens of thousands more in indirect roles across suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and service providers.

From 2016 to 2025, French ski resorts invested nearly €4 billion in infrastructure maintenance and development. France ranks second globally in skier days, recording 54.7 million during the 2024–2025 season. Annual winter visitor spending totals approximately €12 billion, with an additional €2 billion generated during the summer months.

Diversification and Leisure Investments

Non-skiing leisure infrastructure also expanded in 2025, with investment in this category rising by 40% compared with the average of the previous four years. Projects included adventure parks, mountain biking trails, wellness facilities, and family-focused attractions.

The multi-purpose design of new projects—including lifts, piste works, high-altitude reservoirs, and reception buildings—reflects an integrated approach where diversification is embedded in core infrastructure planning. Mountain resorts are increasingly positioning themselves as full-service destinations, attracting visitors year-round.

Regional Distribution of Investment

Investment remained concentrated in Alpine regions, with the following breakdown in 2025:

Savoie: €230.26 million
Haute-Savoie: €84 million
Isère: €80.16 million
Southern Alps: €71.84 million
Pyrenees: €34.9 million
Vosges: €0.88 million
Jura: €1.17 million
Massif Central: €5.61 million

Savoie accounted for over 40% of total national investment, reflecting its leading role in France’s ski industry.

Future Outlook

Upcoming renewals of public service delegations are expected to shape future investment priorities, particularly regarding transport infrastructure, climate adaptation, and diversification projects. Ski resorts are likely to continue balancing infrastructure modernisation, multi-season leisure development, and financial sustainability.

The €555 million invested in 2025 demonstrates that French ski resorts remain committed to evolving their offerings, improving visitor experience, and ensuring the long-term resilience of mountain tourism in a changing economic and climatic landscape.

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