[photo thanks to Declan McCullagh]
The U.S. Ski Industry has recorded an increase in it’s average amount of visitors during the 2008/2009 season which is encouraging to see.
Despite the condition of the U.S. economy right now it seems people have been more willing to support the Ski Industry after much speculation that it was going to be a challenging season for ski resort operators. Unfortunately it has not prevented the closure of a few resorts around the U.S.
Based on preliminary estimates, ski areas nationwide tallied 57.1 million visits for the 2008/09 season, making it the fifth best season on record. Over the last 10 seasons (1999/00 – 2008/09), the industry has averaged 56.7 visits.
The 2008/09 season represents a 0.8 percent increase from the 10-year average, and just a 5.5 percent decrease from the record 2007/08 season of 60.5 million visits.
What I found interesting is where people chose to have their winter holiday. The trend emerged that the resorts closer to the cities were more appealing to holiday makers than those that required some travelling. Obviously people were making sure that they got their skiing done rather than concerning themselves about where they skied. This probably meant that going to the nearest resort and saving on travelling costs prevented the icon destinations from recieving the visitors that they would normally recieve.
Relatively favorable snow and weather conditions in most parts of the country during much of the season provided a strong counterbalance to the challenging economic conditions. Based on resort comments, the impact of the economy varied somewhat depending on resort location and resort type. Many day-ski areas in close proximity to major metropolitan markets benefitted as many guests chose to ski and ride at locations closer to home. Meanwhile destination resorts often reported fewer overnight visits and shorter stays.
It will be interesting to see if that trend occurs in Australia. With families having a little bit less money to be able holiday where they want this season, the closer ski fields may recieve an increase in money-savvy visitors this season. If this is the case Mt Buller looks set to benefit from it’s close proximity to Melbourne and it’s surrounds this year.
If you are looking for a great place to stay at Mt Buller this season, without breaking the budget, Nutcracker Ski Club offers one of the cheapest bed rates on the mountain and there are plenty of beds available.
Click here for more.
[Via Skipressworld]
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