A few days ago we published the ranking of the best ski resorts according to the Skipass Panorama Turismo mountain tourism observatory. This ranking is the result of in-depth market research and ongoing monitoring of the winter tourism sector conducted by JFC and promoted by ModenaFiere; the assessment is therefore not an abstract opinion, but stems from a careful analysis of data across specific evaluation criteria.
The overall podium sees Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto) in first place, followed by Courmayeur (Valle d’Aosta) in second and Madonna di Campiglio in third.
Following the publication of this news, a lively debate broke out among readers, with many arguing that at least one of Val di Fassa, Alta Badia, or Val Gardena belonged on the podium…
We therefore decided to request the full breakdown to understand the methodology and evaluation criteria that led to these resorts taking top honors.
Evaluation criteria:
Italian respondents were asked to rate resorts across five key factors that influence travelers when choosing one mountain destination over another:
• two image-related factors: how famous a resort is and how trendy it is;
• three service-related factors: the quality of the ski slopes, the quality of the hotels, and the range of services available.
Across these combined criteria, Cortina d’Ampezzo achieved an overall score of 7.75 points, followed in second place by Courmayeur (up from fourth place last year) with 7.72 points, virtually tied with Madonna di Campiglio in third with 7.71 points.
The remaining resorts followed at some distance: Livigno (7.35), Ortisei (7.32), and Sestriere (7.24).
The overall ranking is thus the composite result of the individual category rankings—here is the podium for each criterion:
Most famous resort:
1. Cortina d’Ampezzo
2. Courmayeur
3. Madonna di Campiglio
Trendiest resort:
i.e., the most fashionable ski resorts over the past year
1. Cortina d’Ampezzo
2. Courmayeur
3. Madonna di Campiglio
Resort with the best hotels:
1. Ortisei
2. Madonna di Campiglio
3. Livigno
As you can see, evaluating the hotel offering produces a very different ranking, with Cortina and Courmayeur off the podium and replaced by Ortisei and Livigno, while only Madonna di Campiglio remains on the podium in this category as well.
Resort with the best ski slopes:
1. Sestriere
2. Madonna di Campiglio
3. Ortisei
In the ranking for the best ski slopes, the Piedmont resort of Sestriere takes first place, followed once again by Madonna di Campiglio and then Val Gardena’s Ortisei.
Resort with the most services:
1. Ortisei
2. Courmayeur
3. Madonna di Campiglio
When the focus shifts to the range of services offered, Ortisei tops the standings once again, Courmayeur returns to the podium in second, and Trentino’s Madonna di Campiglio confirms its spot in the top 3.
Final thoughts
This breakdown highlights how other resorts excelled in specific areas (slopes, hotels, etc.): for instance, Ortisei ranked number one for both Hotel Quality and Tourist Services, while Madonna di Campiglio was the only resort to finish on the podium across every single category.
It is also important to note that this study by JFC and ModenaFiere evaluated resorts as all-round winter holiday destinations, rather than purely on their skiing terrain.
We hope this sheds light on this much-discussed ranking.
Our thanks to ModenaFiere for providing the research details
Research conducted by JFC Tourism and Management
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