Long one of the most popular winners at the World Ski Awards, Leo Trippi has again been recognised as a leader in global hospitality. Here Breaking Travel News speaks to Oliver Corkhill, chief executive of the company, to find out more

Breaking Travel News: Congratulations - Leo Trippi has been honoured with the title of World’s Best Ski Travel Agent at the World Ski Awards – how does it feel to have won?

Oliver Corkhill: It’s amazing - to win this again, and for the seventh consecutive year it’s just incredible.

This year has been tough for everyone in tourism and the competition for this award has been fierce.

It’s a real testament to our team and the goodwill and support that Leo Trippi has from clients, owners, operators and other suppliers.

We can’t thank everyone who voted enough.

BTN: This is a title Leo Trippi has held since 2014 – and the launch of World Ski Awards. What is it that attracts voters to the brand and separates you from your competitors?

OC: We’ve got an incredibly loyal client base from all over the world who have supported us year on year.

We really strive to build relationships with clients and wow them with our unique product offerings and market insight.

Leo Trippi has a strong heritage, dating back to 1882, we’ve got offices in key resorts such as St Moritz, Verbier and Zermatt as well as in the UK and Russia - we’ve got amazing industry contacts and supporters.

BTN: How useful are the World Ski Awards trophies when comes to promoting the brand around the globe?

OC: Winning at the World Ski Awards certainly inspires confidence in clients when it comes to booking with us.

Not only does it highlight the fact that our properties and service are of the highest quality, but it also helps give customers peace of mind when booking.

There are a lot of fraudulent websites out there and being recognised by the World Ski Awards helps to highlight that we are a long-standing and trustworthy company who will go above and beyond for our clients and industry partners.

BTN: How would you describe the mood in European ski tourism as we enter the 2020 season? Is there much hope we can turn the corner on Covid-19 over the coming months?

OC: While some people are understandably hesitant about the thought of travel, we are delighted that ski resorts across the world have made a huge effort to ensure that the season will be able to go ahead with stringent measures in place, so that everyone can enjoy the season safely.

People have realised the value of travel more than ever and there is certainly a pent-up desire to go skiing.

This year, the booking pattern has certainly changed with people renting chalets on a long-term basis and we expect a big increase in last-minute bookings.

However, we are encouraged that people are still enquiring and booking ski holidays.

We have flexible cancellation policies in place for many properties that are willing to give full refunds should the client have to cancel due to Covid-19 related government restrictions.

I think this is really helping people to feel confident when booking their holiday with us.

Of course, we can’t fully predict what will happen during the season, the situation is fluid.

What I can say is that we will be here for customers and partners to make sure they’re looked after and have holidays to look forward to, whether that be now or in the future.

More Information

Back in 1882 Leo Trippi ran three successful hotels in the Engadin and Italy.

These were the ‘go-to’ properties for European socialites, business tycoons and royalty.

Fast forward a century and the company continues the tradition as a luxury ski holiday company helping guests to create the most exceptional luxury ski chalet holidays and bespoke mountain vacations in Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy.

Find out more on the official website.