Denver, CO – The 2012-13 ski and snowboard season, up 11 percent nationally in terms of skier visits, crossed the finish line with a positive outcome for mountain lodging in both western and eastern resorts, according to the latest data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP).
In the West, a slow start to the season was reversed with improving snow conditions and economic news throughout the winter and resulted in an aggregated 5.8 percent increase in actual occupancy and an 8.8 percent increase in total lodging revenues compared to the 2011-12 season, MTRiP officials indicate. Despite tallying 56.6 million skier days nationally this winter, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), joy over the 11 percent uptick this winter was tempered by the 2011-12 season’s dismal results, which themselves reflected a sharp decline from the record setting 60.54-million mark posted in the 2010-11 season.
“After a shaky start to the winter season, the new year brought better weather conditions and increasingly positive economic conditions simultaneously—a combination we haven’t enjoyed for several years,” observed Ralf Garrison, director of MTRiP. “While the shift in the Easter holiday to March this year resulted in an anticipated slow April, excellent late season conditions bode well for good ‘snow equity’ going into next season.”
As of April 30, advance reservations currently on-the-books at mountain resorts across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, and Oregon for the next six months, May through October, are up an aggregated 8.4 percent compared to the same time last year and overall revenues are trending up 13.9 percent. Increases in bookings are up in all summer months including the historically slow month of May, up 9.9 percent over last year.
“Currently, some of the more established summer destinations are now surpassing the all time records set last year during pre-recession times.”
America’s 121 ski resorts that operate on land within U.S. National Forests are leveraging a new summer recreation law passed in 2011 that allows the resorts located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming to offer their guests a wider array of activities in summer. The most visible program has been launched by Vail Resorts, coined “Epic Discovery,” which proposes a number of new activities, including zip lines, ropes courses, mountain excursions and mountain coasters with extensive environmental and interpretive programming.
MTRiP’s “econometrics,” a monthly review of key economic indicators, focused on some particularly important metrics for travel and tourism. The Unemployment Rate dropped for the third consecutive month, down one basis point to 7.5 percent and the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) rebounded from March declines with a 10 percent bump up. Crude oil prices dipped slightly for some slight relief at the pump and while the Consumer Price Index edged up in March, the national inflation rate declined moderately. And, although mainly symbolic for most consumers, the Dow Jones Industrial Average continued the upward momentum that started in January 2013 and ended the month 12.3 percent higher than April 2012.
“We had a couple of hiccups to bookend this ski season with the slow snow start and then a relatively quiet April because of the Easter holiday shifting back to March this year but overall, things are looking pretty good,” assures Tom Foley, MTRIP’s director of operations. “Skiers and snowboarders returned to the mountains last season, financial markets created a sense of returning security, and employers have finally started consistently adding 200,000 plus new jobs each month which will boost consumer confidence in the long run. In combination, that is a lot of good news for mountain tourism.”