Only 43% positive sentiment – yet these ski resorts are winning over guests online!
Whilst our well-known AI-based brand image report – produced in collaboration with Lumifai – has so far focused primarily on analysing the messages that ski destinations themselves convey through their own channels, we are now, for the first time, turning our attention consistently outwards:
to what travellers are actually saying about the brands online. At the heart of this is comprehensive social listening across social media, news portals and travel platforms. Since the start of the year (1 January 2026), the 66 leading ski destinations have been mentioned online around 63,000 times. The overall sentiment is mixed: only around 43% of these mentions are positive, whilst the majority remain neutral or critical. At the same time, the analysis, in the familiar ‘Mountain Management Consulting’ style, clearly shows which destinations are managing to build a strong, positive online image despite this environment.
Leading the way in online sentiment
Zillertal Arena has achieved the highest online Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +47.0 – a top ranking that reflects the overwhelmingly positive response online. Close behind are Silvretta Montafon (41.1) and Kleinwalsertal (40.0). These destinations are therefore among the season’s top performers in terms of sentiment. Their brand image benefits from an overwhelmingly positive online perception – a competitive advantage that can pay off in terms of bookings and loyalty. Marketing teams in other regions can build on this: what content generates this positive sentiment? The report provides answers to this question and enables the identification of the success factors of the best performers.
Community-Power on Social Media
The analysis also reveals which resorts generate the most fan engagement online. Leading the way is Laax, with an average of around 8,900 interactions per day on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms – an absolute record! Ischgl follows with around 8,000 daily interactions, which is also an indicator of an extremely active community. This enormous social media response makes it clear: an engaged online community has a direct positive impact on brand image. Destinations that engage their fans with inspiring content and quick responses gain visibility and loyalty. Laax and Ischgl serve as prime examples of how to successfully appeal to a young, trend-conscious target group.
The analysis thus also reveals where brand images are formed. For the first time, it is clearly quantified in which online channel each destination is particularly strongly represented. Some resorts dominate social media – for example, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis achieves a social media share of +23.6% above the average (compared to review portals and news), followed by Saas-Fee and Zillertal Arena. Others, by contrast, score particularly well in the press: Val d’Isère, for example, achieves a channel dominance of +47.7% on news portals. Still others (e.g. Schladming) have a disproportionately high presence on review platforms.
Making the effects of a crisis measurable
The Online Opinion Index – effectively the ‘share price’ of brand perception – is highly sensitive to negative events. A recent example is Crans-Montana: the tragic New Year’s Eve accident at the end of last year caused the destination’s Web Opinion Index to plummet dramatically. The impact of this dip in perception is still being felt today. Although such incidents will hopefully remain isolated cases, the long-term analysis underscores that sustainable reputation management is indispensable. Destination brands should actively manage crises through communication to quickly mitigate any loss of trust – as the data shows that damage to reputation can otherwise have long-term repercussions
An overview of the reports
From mid-April, these social listening analyses will be available for the first time in a dedicated, cross-seasonal report: the Online Feedback Report. It specifically complements the Brand Image Tracking Report by focusing exclusively on how ski destinations are perceived online – based on posts, comments, reviews and coverage on social media, news portals and travel platforms.
Together, both reports provide a holistic picture of the brand: whilst the Brand Image Tracking Report analyses what a destination communicates, the Online Perception Report shows how this content and these experiences are actually received and discussed in the digital space. In addition to quantitative metrics, the new report also includes qualitative analyses of topics and content, such as service, value for money, infrastructure, sustainability or crisis events – thereby making the drivers of both positive and negative perceptions transparent.
This provides marketing and communications managers with a data-driven management tool that ranges from content optimisation and reputation management to the strategic development of the brand.
Further information on this topic can also be found at (in German language) :
https://www.simagazin.com/si-magazin/themen/management-tourismus/favoriten-und-meistkritisierte-skigebiete-erkenntnisse-aus-zwei-rankings/