DestiMetrics said lodging data shows occupancy at mountain resorts in the Far West running well ahead of year ago levels despite the ongoing drought.
Although the Far West resorts continue to deal with drought, as of June 30 they are reporting a 10 percent gain in occupancy and 11 percent increase in revenue compared to last summer. Rocky Mountain resorts have the opposite situation, with unusually rainy weather, but are still posting a 6.2 percent gain in occupancy and a 12.9 percent in revenue.
Figures are based on existing bookings at 19 mountain destinations in six states for the six months from May through October. When aggregated, the data shows occupancy for the summer period is up 6.8 percent compared to last summer, while lodging revenue is up 12.5 percent. Actual occupancy for June was up 4.8 percent with revenues up 8.1 percent compared to June 2014.
“Bookings made in June for the remainder of the summer remained strong and 74 percent of last summer’s entire business has already been realized or booked,” said Ralf Garrison, director of DestiMetrics. “We are continuing to see gains in most metrics in all the summer months.”
Although the economic news was somewhat mixed in June, there didn’t appear to be any negative impact on travel plans for mountain visitors.
“Consumers report feeling better about short-and long-term prospects for both employment and business,” said Tom Foley, operations director for DestiMetrics. “And while the markets certainly reacted to the economic crises in China and Greece during June, it is important to note that the Dow remains 4.7 percent higher than last June.”
Foley also reported that while global economic conditions can impact financial markets, there currently isn’t any direct evidence that the decline in the Euro and Canadian dollar is having a direct impact on mountain travel. The strength of the U.S. dollar against Asian markets is also not appearing to have a negative impact on destination visits.
“With much of the summer’s reservation activity now quantified, we anticipate a continuation of current trends and a strong finish for summer of 2015,” said Garrison. “It is likely that this summer will be another one for the record books in many mountain resort communities.”
DestiMetrics tracks resort performance in mountain destinations, compiling forward-looking reservation data on a monthly basis, aggregating and reporting the results to subscribers at participating resorts. Data for western resorts is derived from a sample of approximately 290 property management companies in 19 mountain destination communities, representing approximately 27,500 rooms across CO, UT, CA, NV, OR and WY and may not reflect the entire mountain destination travel industry. Results may vary significantly among and between resorts and participating properties.
