For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Molly Cuffe, 303.915.0277, molly@coloradoski.com
Nick Bohnenkamp, 303.866.9724, nick@coloradoski.com
Colorado Ski Reosorts Hosted 12.56 Million Skier Visits in 2006-07 and Set Second Consecutive Record
COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo., June 14, 2007 -- Colorado Ski Country
USA (CSCUSA) announced today at the organization's 44th Annual
Meeting and Forum that its 26 member resorts hosted more than 12.56
million skier visits and set a new skier visit record for the
second consecutive year.
"We are extremely pleased with our results this year. It was our
goal to sustain last year's growth and surpass the 12 million mark
to set a new benchmark for the state," explained Rob Perlman,
president and CEO of CSCUSA. "To set yet another record, despite
significant travel challenges, truly demonstrates the power of
Colorado's brand, the competitive advantage of the state's product
consistency, and the overall resiliency of our guests to enjoy
their holidays at the world's best resorts."
Perlman continued, "With marginal snowfall around the globe, this
was a challenging season for the industry. Maximizing our snow
message helped to fuel incremental business from regions with
lackluster snowfall."
While national industry numbers are down, Colorado's 2006-07
numbers show continued growth and represent an increase of
approximately 30,000 skier visits over last year. Colorado also set
a record in overall market share by capturing nearly 23 percent of
the ski business in the United States. The state was up in every
one of its top-five domestic out-of-state markets with the greatest
gains from Texas, California and New York.
Hosting nearly 85,000 guests more than last year, Colorado's
"destination resorts" saw the most growth as a group year-over-year
to make this the group's best season in a decade. Colorado's
destination resorts are up 7.4 percent over their five-year average
further demonstrating the group's four-year growth trend. In
particular, the destination resorts located in the southwestern
corner of the state rebounded after a challenging year in 2005-06.
All destination resorts in the southwest corner posted increases
over prior year with some posting record visits.
The Colorado GEMS continue to sparkle as their growth trend
continues for the fourth consecutive year. Up more than 13 percent
against their five-year average, the GEMS set a second consecutive
record in terms of overall skier visits by hosting more than 1.3
million guests during the 2006-07 winter season. This is the
group's second year of record-setting visitation.
While both the GEMS and destination resorts saw solid growth year
over year, Colorado's "Front Range destination" resorts were down
just slightly from the previous record year. Despite highway
closures and challenging intrastate travel from late-December
through February, including key holiday periods, these six resorts
still enjoyed their second best season ever, exceeded only by the
2005-06 season, by hosting more than 7.3 million guests - more than
most states host in a season. Front Range Destination resorts are
also up 6.8 percent over their five-year average.
"At the end of the day, it's great to set a new record, but we
didn't do it on our own," stated Rob Perlman. "We had help from
numerous organizations including the Colorado Tourism Office and
Denver International Airport, and our regional mountain airports
proved to be invaluable time and time again this season."
Denver International Airport (DEN) posted its third consecutive
record year in 2006. The airport accommodated more than 47.3
million passengers and reclaimed its position as the fifth busiest
airport in the United States and the tenth busiest in the world.
DEN was successful in further cementing its position as one of the
most affordable airports in the country. Airfares into DEN were
among the lowest offered into the country's largest winter
destinations from 18 of Colorado's core domestic markets.
Colorado Ski Country USA is the not-for-profit trade association
representing Colorado's 26 ski & snowboard resorts. Information
about the organization and its members can be found at
www.coloradoski.com.
Colorado Ski Country USA 2006-2007 End of Season Skier Visits
October 13, 2006 through June 3, 2007
| Resort Category | 2006-07 | 2005-06 | Number Change |
Percent Change |
5 Year Average |
Number Change |
Percent Change |
| Destination |
3,808,225 | 3,723,898 | 84.327 | 2.26% | 3,546,241 | 261,984 | 7.39% |
| Front Range Destination | 7,373,588 | 7,473,578 | (99,990) | -1.34% | 6,901,224 | 472,364 | 6.84% |
| Gems/Front Range | 1,379,408 | 1,335,632 | 43,776 | 3.28% | 1,219,329 | 160,079 | 13.13% |
| Total: | 12,561,221 | 12,533,108 | 28,113 |
0.22% | 11,666,794 |
894,427 |
7.67% |
*CATEGORY BREAK-DOWNS
1) Destination Resorts - Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain,
Buttermilk, Crested Butte, Durango (Purgatory), Howelsen Hill,
Silverton Mountain, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride, Wolf
Creek
2) Front Range Destination Resorts - Beaver Creek, Breckenridge,
Copper Mountain, Keystone, Vail, Winter Park
3) Gems/Front Range Resorts - Arapahoe Basin, Echo Mountain,
Eldora, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, SolVista Basin,
Sunlight
*The numbers stated above are preliminary and subject to
change. Colorado Ski Country USA does not release individual
resort skier visit totals throughout the season. The decision to
release individual numbers is up to each individual resort. Skier
visits from previous years can be found at
www.media-coloradoski.com in the Media Center.
# # #
Colorado Ski Country USA is the not-for--profit trade association
representing Colorado's 26 ski & snowboard resorts. Information
about the organization and its members can be found at
www.coloradoski.com.
