News of Interest

Norwood Chamber to explore economic development tools
Staff report, Telluride Daily Planet
October 14, 2009
Just inside of Norwood town limits sits a potentially powerful economic stimulus tool. San Miguel County Fairgrounds Manager DeeAnna Burbridge and the Norwood Chamber of Commerce are asking for help to maximize that potential.;

Aspen Skiing Co. forecasts 'flat' season for skier visits
Scott Condon, The Aspen Times
August 3, 2009
The Aspen Skiing Co. doesn't expect to recover the skier visits lost during the 2008-09 season this coming winter, according to its top two executives.

Worst Part of a Trip May Be Booking It on the Web
SUSAN STELLIN, The New York Times
August 3, 2009
If you dreaded sitting down at your computer the last time you made travel arrangements or felt frustrated by all the time and effort it took to sort through pages of results for flights and hotels, join the crowd.

Ski resorts step up marketing
Sarah Mcginnis, Calgary Herald
August 1, 2009
After experiencing a drop in international tourists last winter, Alberta's mountain resorts are banding together on an aggressive campaign to lure Europeans back to the slopes.

Summer bummer: Dude ranches lack dudes, dudettes
Charles Pulliam, Associated Press
July 27, 2009
Tom and Sue Murphy's dude ranch should be fully booked this time of year, their guests enjoying pastoral weeks of rafting, long horseback rides in the backcountry and evening hot springs soaks at 9,300 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Instead, there are few dudes and dudettes moseying into the Murphys' Elk Mountain Ranch.

Airlines hit by slowing travel increase fees
Hugo Martin, Chicago Tribune
July 27, 2009
In this tough economy, does it make more sense for airlines to lower fares to draw in budget-conscious travelers or raise rates and fees to boost revenues? There seems to be no consensus, judging by the news of the past week or so.

US Airways, JetBlue and Alaska turn profits, helped by fees and cheaper fuel
DAVID KOENIG, Associated Press
July 23, 2009
Three U.S. airlines said Thursday that they made money in the April-June quarter, the start of the summer travel season, with help from cheaper jet fuel and extra fees on passengers.

N.H. ski resorts report good winter
Staff Report, fosters.com
July 13, 2009
The 2008-09 winter yielded another successful winter season for New Hampshire alpine ski and snowboard resorts. New Hampshire's ski resorts have compiled this past winter's visits and announce a total of 2,289,426 alpine skier and snowboarder visits, a slight decline of 3 percent from the winter of 2007-08, which set the state's all-time record for skier visits.

Rain washes away tourism dollars in Northeast
DAVID SHARP, Associated Press
July 11, 2009
Relentless rain and cool weather since early June have sent visitors scrambling home and washed away millions of tourism dollars across the Northeast. But the first 80-degree readings this month gave a glimmer of hope Friday that summer can be salvaged.

New figures show Arizona tourism industry 'clearly in pain'
Lynn Ducey, Phoenix Business Journal
July 9, 2009
Numbers just released from the Arizona Office of Tourism bring home the effects of the recession on the state and the Phoenix area.

Group issues report on NH ski season
Chris Reidy, The Boston Globe
July 7, 2009
There were 2,289,426 alpine skier and snowboarder visits to New Hampshire resorts last winter, decline of 3 percent for the previous winter of 2007-08, which set the state's all-time record for skier visits.

Canadian slopes saw 10 per cent fewer visitors
Brenda Bouw, THE CANADIAN PRESS
July 7, 2009
The number of skiers and snowboarders on Canada's mountains this past winter fell by 10 per cent year-over-year, a drop being blamed on poor weather conditions in some regions, the recession and an aging population.

The Soaring Cost of Car Rentals
MICHELLE HIGGINS, New York Times
June 28, 2008
WHILE the global recession has sent prices plummeting on airfares, hotels and cruises, it is having the opposite effect on rental cars.

Struggling airlines launch more 'a la carte' fees at fliers
Gary Stoller, USA TODAY
June 24, 2009
Figuring out the cost of his parents' recent trip between Dallas and southern California was a nightmare for frequent flier Thomas McDonnell.Comparing airline baggage fees and other extra charges was so difficult that McDonnell had trouble determining the most economical flight. It was so complicated that driving became a strong option, says McDonnell, of Austin.

Clear customers again must wait with the pack
Staff Report, Associated Press
June 24, 2009
Verified Identity Pass, a company that promised to speed passengers through airport security checkpoints for an annual fee, has shut down, leaving some frequent fliers looking for options to avoid long screening lines and wondering what will happen to the personal information they gave the company.

Summer Reservations at Mountain Resorts Showing Signs of Improvement
Staff Report, First Tracks
June 23, 2009
Data collected by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP) through May 31, 2009 has revealed that reservations for mountain destinations across the western U.S. and Canada are down 15 percent compared to the same time last year. The findings track with the results reported by MTRiP for the 2008-09 ski and snowboard season.

Airport Projects Delayed or Canceled
LESLIE WAYNE, The New York Times
June 22, 2009
At the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, passengers are so scarce that a long-term parking lot will soon be turned into temporary housing for 900 horses attending equestrian games in the nearby bluegrass countryside. It is an apt image — going from air power to horse power — for the troubles that airports are face these days: too few passengers, too few flights, too little revenue. And to deal with these setbacks they have come up with a solution: cut every capital project they can.

U.S. travel and tourism spending down
Staff Report, Denver Business Journal
June 17, 2009
Spending on travel and tourism nationwide fell at an annual rate of 5.9 percent in the first quarter, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis says.

Utah's skier numbers fell 6.5 percent last winter
Mike Gorrell, The Salt Lake Tribune
June 17, 2009
Utah's ski industry fell short of a sixth straight record-setting year, with the recession causing the number of skier days last winter to drop 6.5 percent from the previous season to 3,972,984.

Breck: more visitors but less revenue?
Robert Allen, Summit Daily News
June 15, 2009
Breckenridge is on pace for more summer visitors this year than last year, but the economic recession's impact could cause a moderate dip in revenue.;

Fares Are Low, but Airlines Are Trying to End That
JOE SHARKEY, The New York Times
June 15, 2009
Forweeks, airline executives have been gingerly asserting that revenue seems to have stabilized after the deep plunge in the first five months of the year. But they say they see no clear sign yet that things are improving.

Skier visits down almost 8 percent
Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News
June 12, 2009
As expected, a down economy took its toll on skier visits during the 2008/2009 season in Aspen and across the state. But it could've been worse, industry officials said.

Skier visits in Vt. dip 7 percent but on par with 5 year average
Staff Report, Burlington Free Press
June 12, 2009
Vermont's ski season weathered the winter, in spite of a sour economy and a temperamental climate. The Vermont Ski Areas Association announced Thursday the state's ski resorts recorded 4,068,696 skier visits for the 2008-09 season. The announcement came at the industry trade group's 40th anniversary annual meeting today at Killington Resort.

Colorado skier visits down 5.5% for the season
Staff Report, Denver Business Journal
June 12, 2009
Colorado winter resorts recorded 11.85 million skier and snowboarder visits during the just-completed 2008-09 season, down 5.5 percent from last year, Colorado Ski Country USA reported Thursday.

Court steers clear of Ariz. ski resort dispute
FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press
June 9, 2009
The operators of a ski resort in northern Arizona hope to give patrons a better sense of when they'll open for the season and for how long. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to refrain from hearing an appeal from Indian tribes who wanted to block expansion at the Arizona Snowbowl north of Flagstaff gave the resort a green light to move ahead with plans to coat the slopes with artificial snow for the first time in its 71-year history.

Vail Resorts see big drop in business
Mike Gorrell, Salt Lake Tribune
June 10, 2009
Vail Resorts' latest quarterly report offered more evidence of what a tough winter it was for the ski industry. The publicly traded company reported Tuesday that its earnings for the quarter ending April 30 declined 29.4 percent from the same period a year earlier. Earnings fell to $61.6 million, or $1.68 per share, from $87.7 million, or $2.24 per share a year ago, based on a 21.3 percent drop in revenues to $333.5 million.

Memorial Day travel should mirror last year's
Linda Loyd, Philadelphia Inquirer
May 21, 2009
Will more Americans hit the road this Memorial Day and through the summer, taking advantage of cheaper gasoline prices, low airfares, and hotel discounts? Or will the stalled economy, rising unemployment, and falling home prices outweigh the urge to get out of Dodge?

U.S. Airline Passenger Revenue, Traffic Fall Again in April
PAULO PRADA, The Wall Street Journal
May 21, 2009
Passenger revenue on U.S. airlines fell by 18% in April compared with a year ago, marking the sixth consecutive month in which the key indicator has fallen as airlines battle with slumping demand for travel, according to a major industry trade group. Overall traffic during the month fell by 6.3%, compared with April 2008, the Air Transport Association said in a release.

The Race to Provide Wi-Fi at 30,000 Feet
JOE SHARKEY, The New York Times
May 21, 2009
SOME airlines are rushing to offer Wi-Fi Internet connections in their domestic aircraft cabins, but none are talking about the space squeeze.

Lomanno: Demand is key indicator for upturn
Patrick Mayock, Hotel News Now
May 20, 2009
Just beyond the distracting lights of the Las Vegas Strip, Smith Travel Research’s Mark Lomanno told hoteliers to keep their eyes focused on demand. That metric, more so than any other, will serve as a bellwether for the inevitable rebound of the U.S. hotel industry.

Travel to U.S. forecast to drop 8 percent in 2009: Commerce Dept
Staff Report, Reuters
May 20, 2009
Foreign travel to the United States is forecast to fall 8 percent in 2009, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Wednesday, as the Senate voted to create a new travel promotion program.

Tourism in Utah increases
Jasen Lee, Deseret News
April 13, 2009
Utah is attracting more visitors despite the slow economy of the past year. The Utah Office of Tourism said Monday that the state attracted 20.4 million people in 2008, an increase of more than 16 percent since 2004.

Mileage Deals Spur Runs for Elite Status
SCOTT MCCARTNEY, The Wall Street Journal
APRIL 14, 2009
If you ever wanted elite status on an airline, now's your chance. And if you're worried about losing your top-tier status because you've reduced business travel, there's a clever way to keep all those perks -- provided you've got some time to fly.

U.S. saw record number of visitors in 2008
Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
April 13, 2009
A record number of foreigners visited the USA in 2008, thanks largely to an increasing number of Mexicans and Canadians on vacations or business trips, according to government reports. Half the record 50.5 million foreign visitors in 2008 came from Canada and Mexico and the other half from overseas, Commerce Department figures show. In 2000, nearly 60% of the 45 million foreign visitors came from overseas. The figures exclude Mexicans going only to U.S. border areas.

Growth of Eco-Tourism Raises Concerns
TOM ZELLER Jr., The New York Times
April 12, 2009
The globe's icy poles took center stage in Washington last week at the first joint meeting of those international bodies governing — or trying to govern — the ever-more fragile Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Airlines look to leave bad news behind
TERRY MAXON, Dallas Morning News
April 13, 2009
In 2008, a bad first quarter was only the opening act of a really rotten year. In 2009, airlines hope that a bad first quarter will be the last act of a truly horrible stretch.

Can Cuba cope with an onslaught of Americans?
WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
April 12, 2009
A push in Congress to do away with U.S. travel bans on Cuba could set off a flood of American visitors to the long-forbidden island. But many wonder if a country where foreigners have long complained about lousy food, sluggish service and iffy infrastructure is ready for an onslaught of Americans unseen since the days of Meyer Lansky and Al Capone.

Region's ski resorts report increase in visitors
Staff Reports, The Tribune-Democrat/Cumberland Times-News
March 23, 2009
With ski season coming to a close, resorts in the region say that lift ticket sales rose over the winter. It was really a strange year. Our lift ticket sales were probably up 35 percent, said Doug Houck, in his first year as general manager at Blue Knob All Seasons Resort.

Land swap between state, federal government expands ski area
PAULA TRACY, New Hampshire Union Leader
March 23, 2009
A land exchange occurred Friday between the state and federal government which will allow Mittersill ski area to be joined in ownership with state-owned Cannon in Franconia Notch. In exchange, the U.S. Forest Service acquired the 244-acre Sentinel State Park in Piermont. It includes a one-quarter mile section of the Appalachian Trail.

Bill would expand summer offerings at ski areas
JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Writer
March 16, 2009
Congress is stepping into a dispute between environmentalists and the ski industry over whether ski areas should be able to expand their summertime recreation, a move critics say could allow them to build amusement parks. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, introduced a bill Monday that would allow ski areas to offer year-round recreation on land they lease from the U.S. Forest Service. Mountain biking, alpine slides and zip-lines that whiz people above forests and valleys are among the more common summertime activities pursued by ski resorts.

Ski towns target spring break travelers with deals
Catherine Tsai, AP Business Writer
March 16, 2009
With the busy spring break season peaking, ski town businesses and resorts are promoting deals to try to juice business that has slipped in the recession. The Tyrolean Lodge in Aspen is advertising rooms starting at $195 a night for the week of March 15, but its website has a line saying, Recession Help Available! Please call. Lodge owner Pierre Wille said one caller was quoted a rate of $150 for one night.

Does cruise line’s viral campaign cross the line?
Anita Dunham-Potter, Tripso
March 9, 2009
In early 2007, Royal Caribbean developed a marketing strategy that used online bulletin boards to spread the cruise line’s gospel, so to speak. The company created a program, dubbed Royal Champions, that enlisted rabid Royal Caribbean fans who happened to be frequent posters on Internet cruise bulletin boards like Cruise Critic. Did its program cross the line?

Ski Montana: A resort report
PETER JOHNSON, greatfallstribune.com
March 9, 2009
During a normal winter, ski operators fret mostly about weather, hoping for plenty of snow before the vital Christmas holidays and maybe some snow, but not sub zero temperatures, in neighboring towns to get occasional skiers and snowboarders day-dreaming of the slopes. Last fall's financial plummet added a new concern, whether local enthusiasts and sometime skiers would shell out money as often for lift tickets if they're worried about the economy.

Tamarack to close down
EXPRESS STAFF, Idaho Mountain Express
March 2, 2009
Tamarack Resort, the ski and summer resort near Donnelly that opened in 2004, plans to shut down operations by Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Deep discounts for spring break travel
Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Media Services
March 2, 2009
Anne and Jim Stewart and their two teenagers are happily counting down the days till their Jamaica spring break. They're not rich -- or crazy to take a vacation when everyone is cutting back. In fact, they almost didn't go this year, says Anne, a Connecticut physical therapist. Yet, despite the recession, they didn't want to forgo the opportunity for some much-needed family time

Ski resorts toeing green's bottom line
RODRIQUE NGOWI, Associated Press
March 1, 2009
Brian Fairbank had tried just about everything to cut the costs of running his Jiminy Peak ski resort: he used recycled motor oil to heat its mountain operations center, developed more efficient snow guns, captured heat generated by snowmaking machines, even installed waterless toilets. Still his annual electric bill hit $635,000. So Fairbank decided to do what no ski resort owner had done: install a giant windmill to make his own power.

STICKY: Smith Travel Research acquires RRC Associates
Press Release,
February 28, 2008
Smith Travel Research and RRC Associates have announced that they are joining forces, effective immediately.

Montana tourism officials: $4 gas is a 'tipping point'
Staff Report, USA Today
February 25, 2009
Montana tourism officials say they learned something about the economics of high gasoline prices last summer: People cut back on travel plans when gasoline prices reach $4 a gallon.

Vail mulls parking fees for frontage road
Melanie Wong, Vail Daily
February 25, 2009
The Town of Vail and the state transportation department are discussing charges for the town\'s frontage road along the interstate, and the town wants to find out just how much drivers are willing to pay for a spot. Right now, skiers park for free at designated spots in West Vail, and along the south frontage road on days that the parking garages are full.

Ski resorts cheering heavy snowfall
Ross Sneyd, Vermont Public Radio
February 24, 2009
This week's storm left up to a couple of feet of snow in the mountains, adding to an already-substantial snowpack. Ski resorts say the weather has been a gift from the sky that has helped them get through the recession.

Utah ski resorts starting to feel recession
Mike Gorrell, Salt Lake Tribune
February 23, 2009
Great snow in December might have salvaged the important holiday week for Western ski resorts, but the recession has been taking a toll since then. New figures from the Denver-based Mountain Travel Research Program reflect the strain that rising unemployment and plunging consumer confidence have had on the ski industry and its partners in the lodging and hospitality sectors.

Travel industry scrambles to cope as Americans spend less
Marilyn Adams, USA TODAY
February 23, 2009
The sinking U.S. economy is forcing many Americans to cut back on or give up a hallowed tradition: the family vacation. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds that 58% of people who normally take an annual vacation away from home will shrink their vacation spending this year –– or just not go.

Marketing to Succeed in Difficult Economic Times
Madigan Pratt, Hospitality Trends
February 20, 2009
Every sector of business, including hospitality, faces momentous challenges stemming from the global recession. Occupancy is suffering, and all indications are that the deterioration will persist for quite some time. The latest Blue Chip Economic Indicators Report, a composite forecast of 52 economists, projects the worst recession since World War II with an upturn not beginning until late 2009. Some predict it may take longer.

Valet? Seat by the Fire? Join the Club
ALLEN BEST, The New York Times
February 20, 2009
THE country club has long been an American archetype of upscale social networking, white-glove amenities and, oh, yes, golf. Enter the ski club, in which a growing number of winter resorts are using the club model to attract members who prefer first tracks to tee times at sunrise. Think of them as country clubs with vast stretches of white powder instead of putting greens.

An Economic Bright Spot in New Hampshire
JOHN MOTYKA, The New York Times
February 20, 2009
ONCE again, people are talking about Bretton Woods. Not just the cross-country and downhill skiers who zoom and whoosh over its snow at this time of year, but thinkers around the world for whom the name signifies not a resort, but a grand economic agreement — the blueprint that gave a broken world a path to financial stability after World War II. For some, that Bretton Woods seems like the sort of thing it might be time to think about again.

Poconos ski resorts enjoy a 'wow' season
Michael Sadowski, Pocono Record
February 17, 2009
There is a great, big, four-pronged sigh of relief coming from the area's four local ski resorts after last weekend. Resort officials said Monday that skiers showed up over the holiday in droves, continuing the best Poconos ski season in years.

More Snow? Snow Enthusiasts Say Bring It On!
Staff Report, WTMJ-TV
February 18, 2009
Tuesday night, the Sunburst ski area was an active place and the snow hadn’t even started falling yet. The mere mention of frozen precipitation gets hard-charging ski and snowboard enthusiasts thinking about doing what they love.

Economy, weather give area ski resorts a big lift
Andrew C. Martel, Of The Morning Call
February 18, 2009
Standing at the base of Blue Mountain Ski Area in Lower Towamensing Township, it's easy to think: what recession?;

Travel Industry: This Is No Time to Check Out
Sholnn Freeman and Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post
February 13, 2009
Washington's attacks on corporate excess -- the private jets and trips to Vegas -- are prompting a backlash from the travel industry. Hotel chains, jet makers and corporate travel managers say they are fearful that efforts to curb excesses by firms receiving government aid will only add more pain to an industry hit hard by the economic downturn.

Deloitte 2009 Industry Outlook
Staff Report, Hotel News Now
February 10, 2009
After several years of healthy growth, 2009 is expected to be much tougher for the U.S. tourism, hospitality and leisure (THL) industry. The combination of a housing debacle, credit crunch and rising unemployment has placed the nation’s economy at or near recession – leaving fewer discretionary dollars available for consumers’ leisure travel and other forms of entertainment. Corporations, meanwhile, are implementing cost-cutting measures such as reducing employee air travel and scaling back or eliminating group meetings at convention hotels and destination resorts.

Changing travel one tweet at a time
Christopher Elliott, Tribune Media Services
February 10, 2009
There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Those words, hastily typed on Janis Krums' iPhone just after US Airways flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River last month, marked yet another milestone in the microblogging revolution. Krums, a Sarasota, Florida, entrepreneur, posted his observations and a compelling photo of a half-submerged aircraft to Twitter, where it was seen by hundreds of people before other media organizations knew about the accident.