(1888PressRelease)
June 26, 2007 - Skiing holidays have long enjoyed luxury status, being a favoured pastime of the rich and famous, such as the British royal family. Every year, Prince Charles takes William and Harry on a two-week break to Klosters in the Swiss Alps.
Such is the long-standing association of the prince with the resort that the main cable car to the top of the mountain, Gotschnagrat, is named the Prince of Wales in his honour.
However, the market has opened up considerably in recent times. Lower costs and the spread of budget airlines means that ski holidays are growing in popularity with every passing year, according to a leading travel agent.
First Choice Holidays have highlighted France and Austria as key destinations which are seeing an ever-increasing number of travellers heading for their slopes.
A spokesperson for First Choice confirmed: "France is still very popular with guests who are very keen skiers and boarders, Austria has great skiing combined with traditional hotels. "We are seeing a growth in demand for family holidays and we still see great demand over the half term weeks. Easter falling earlier into March also makes this a very popular time to travel."
He added: "We are seeing a trend of people supporting both package and independent travel as the consumer can see the value of booking with a tour operator as in most cases you make genuine savings and receive the support and help of the tour operator."
For investors buying in France, the leaseback scheme can present an added bonus. Under the terms of French law, an overseas investor can buy a property and immediately lease it to a management company who will handle it for them. The advantages for the buyer are twofold.
First, a steady stream of income can be guaranteed, as the management company will pay the investor a flat rent all the year round. This means that there will be something coming in during the off-season, which will be of benefit to any property investor who has mortgage payments to meet.
Second, the leaseback regulations allow for VAT to be waived where the buyer holds on to the property for 11 years or more. If the buyer sells before that period has expired, they will still be able to claim some discount calculated proportionate to the length of time they have held on to the property for.
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