The 2012/2013 skiing season was a good one for mountain sports shops in France. According to FPS, the French sporting goods retailers' association, the turnover across 1,100 such stores grew by 6 percent. The positive performance was boosted by 6.5 percent higher revenues from equipment rentals. Now 70 percent of skiers rent their equipment, and 30 percent of the rentals are done on the Internet. Equipment sales were also rising, up by 5 percent. The hotel occupancy rate in the French resorts' accommodation was stable at between 68 percent and 75 percent, but the use of ski lifts grew by 4 percent. The largest contingent of foreign tourists came from the U.K., followed by Belgians, Dutch and Russians.

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