Experience tickets instead of individual services: How combination tickets are redefining the season extension

The low season continues to be a challenge for many destinations: Falling demand, lower occupancy rates and interchangeable offers. In March and April in particular, a familiar pattern emerges: The slopes are still in good condition, but the classic product of “skiing” alone is no longer enough for many guests. What they want is more…

Best Practice

approx. 10 min

from

Sandra Baumgartner

From ski pass to experience

Der klassische Verkauf im Tourismus ist produktgetrieben: 

  • Ski pass
  • Entry to the spa
  • Restaurant visit

For the guest, this creates a daily routine – but not a consciously designed experience.

The solution:

Experience tickets that bundle several services into one ticket and make it possible to experience them as a complete product.

Best practice: Ski & thermal spa in Gastein

The “Ski & Thermen Ticket” in Gastein is a good example of this approach:

  • Day ski pass in Skigastein (Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein & Sportgastein)
  • 4-hour spa admission on the same day, redeemable in Alpentherme or Felsentherme
  • Use on the same day with one ticket

What makes this offer special:

  • Two strong core services of the destination are combined
  • Easy to book online – even at short notice
  • Clear experience logic instead of discount structure

Especially in the late winter season, this offer meets the needs of many guests exactly: activity, enjoyment and regeneration all in one day.

March and April are not a residual program – for many guests (and for me too) it is the favourite time of year on the ski mountain: firn, sun and enjoyment. Once you’ve experienced skiing like this, you’ll come back – and stay longer.

Icon Satzzeichen oben

Markus Papai

Head of Marketing, Communication & Sales, Gasteiner Bergbahn AG

The next step: hybrid experience products

The full potential arises when this principle is taken further.

Two services become three – or more:

  • Mountain railroad + thermal spa
    • + Gastronomy (e.g. lunch, dinner, breakfast on the mountain, gondola dinner)
    • + Additional offers (spa, events, sports offers)

Several providers, one ticket.

The result is a complete experience day that no longer consists of individual services, but is perceived as a complete product. And thus another reason to visit the destination again.

Warum Erlebnistickets so gut funktionieren

They create real differentiation

A ski pass is comparable, a “Ski & Therme” experience is not.

Active + regeneration

Skiing and thermal baths complement each other perfectly

Flexibility

Short-term bookability makes spontaneous decisions

You extend the season

Not (only) through events, but through new uses

Therole of digitalization: making complexity simple

For such experience tickets to work, a technical basis is needed.

The incert ticket system enables:

Sale of experience tickets with several services in one ticket

  • Contingent and appointment management
  • Combination of tickets and vouchers
  • Digital redemption via app, cash desk or access system
  • Integration into existing systems (e.g. cable car, spa, POS)

This means that even complex offers can be easily sold online and processed as a standardized experience ticket.

Conclusion: Combination is the start, implementation is the key

Combining services is the right approach.
Skiing, thermal baths and culinary delights combine to create an experience that immediately makes sense for the guest.

However, the decisive difference lies behind this:

Only the technical implementation turns it into a functioning product.

After all, what looks like a simple ticket to the guest is actually an interplay of several partners, systems and processes in the background. The real leverage therefore lies not only in the idea, but also in the ability to implement it efficiently and scalably.

Want to find out more about our ticket system for destinations?

More about the author

Sandra Baumgartner

Marketing & Kommunikation

A textual optimist with a passion for tourism. At incert, she turns technology into clear and understandable words.