A lack of snow and the recession have left fewer skiers to climb the mountains of Colorado, and tourism promoters are looking for ways to make this season more uplifting than last year’s disappointing winter.
Visitors and revenues are down throughout the state, threatening its $2.6 billion industry.
“This was a worst-case scenario in that you had a bad economy and you also had 30-year low snowfalls,” said Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz.
To try to make up for some of the lost business, a number of ski resorts are offering first-of-their-kind deals to attract skiers at a time when many also get spring break visits. For example:
• Durango Mountain Resort is offering rooms for $69 per person per night, which includes a $65 lift ticket per person.
• Winter Park Resort has offered adult ski-lift tickets at children’s prices if the buyers are staying in town.
• Local chambers of commerce also are doing more than ever to attract people to hotels, several officials said.
• The Breckenridge Resort Chamber is offering concerts, movie nights and bar events to attract spring breakers, as it did for the first time in 2009, said Bill Wishowski, vice president.
By David Wilkening
