News of Interest

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.

Snow buffers ski industry against crisis
Olivier Grivat, Swiss Info
February 7, 2009
Prospects look good for the winter tourism season, but the fallout from the global financial crisis could start to be felt next year, tourism experts have warned. Around 100 specialists from Europe and the United States, who recently met in the Swiss resort of Zermatt, found that while most sectors of the economy were affected by the global downturn, the ski industry was still solid.

Sponsorship plunges downhill for ski racers
Astrid Wendlandt, Reuters
February 6, 2009
Lindsey Vonn, winner of this week's super-G competition at the Alpine world skiing championships, is one of the few racers who do not have to worry about sponsorship in the current economic crisis. Sponsorships are becoming increasingly difficult to win these days as corporate supporters tighten their belts and scrutinize every expense.

Watching the numbers fall
Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News
February 4, 2009
How far down are you, 8 percent? 10 percent? 20 percent? The question of just how bad business is, or will be, compared to last season is a common question between business people on the sidewalks of Aspen and other Western ski towns.And there are plenty of numbers from which to choose.

Economy won't stop the spring break party
Megan K. Scott, Associated Press (USA Today)
February 2, 2009
College students don't seem to be planning staycations for spring break. Bookings to popular beach destinations are strong, according to travel companies, and volunteering vacations continue to gain momentum.

Western ski resort numbers down but better in December
Mike Gorrell, Salt Lake Tribune
January 27, 2009
After a bleak November, ski resorts in Utah and other mountain states made it through the holidays in reasonably good shape, according to data from the Denver-based Mountain Travel Research Program.

If it snows, they will come, ski resorts find
Claudia Parsons, Reuters
January 23, 2009
Lost jobs, bankruptcies and home foreclosures have forced Americans to cut their spending, but one luxury sector is more interested in weather forecasts than economic forecasts -- the ski business.

A perfect storm seen for ski vacation week
PAULA TRACY, The Union Leader
Dec. 27, 2008
With back-to-back storms leaving as much as 3 feet of snow on snowmobile and ski trails in the past week, tourism officials hope a confluence of good weather, low gas prices and cheaper options to air travel will make this a banner holiday period.

Down the slopes
Gavin Anstey, Boulder Daily Camera
December 8, 2008
For the past 24 years, Joel Berman has taken a break from his job as a Texas physician to go on an annual ski trip with a group of his childhood friends. The past few years they have gone to Crested Butte for a week of great skiing and an escape from the real world. But with the global economic crisis, Berman said he may have to think twice about the weeklong trip to the Rocky Mountains if financial conditions get worse.

A Price to Pay When Skis Travel With You
2009 Ski Guide, New York Times
December 7, 2008
PLANNING on packing your skis or snowboard on your flight out to snow country this year? Be prepared to pay.

Town of Vail Targets Front Range Skiers
Staff Report, First Tracks Online
December 7, 2008
With the current economic climate spurring a sharp downturn in destination visitors that's looming over the current ski and snowboard season, the town of Vail and its ski resort, local merchants and hoteliers have banded together to target Front Range visitors from the metropolitan Denver area this winter.

Bumpy start to ski season as layoffs hit Colorado resorts
Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News
November 20, 2008
Blaming a tough economic climate, resort operator Intrawest Corp. announced companywide job cuts that affect managers and other employees at some of its Colorado ski areas. The layoffs come as winter resorts across the state brace for one of their toughest seasons in years, with season pass sales and advanced bookings hit by a severe recession in the global economy.

Ski deals available nearly everywhere
Associated Press, msnbc.com
November 5, 2008
Mike and Pam Mathe have taken their two kids skiing at Beaver Creek over Christmas break each of the past five years. It's their one big vacation for the year, a luxurious respite from Mike's traveling, the kids' classes. No way are they going to let the economic downturn stop them from going this year.

Why do people come to Bend?
Jeff McDonald, Bend Bulletin
November 3, 2008
Knowing what Bend visitors want has never been easy, but the city's tourism-promotion agency is gaining new insight from the most detailed research it has ever commissioned. The findings will help the agency better target its marketing and advertising.

Intrawest optimistic
Blythe Terrell, Steamboat Pilot & Today
October 25, 2008
A day after Intrawest beat a loan deadline by refinancing, company officials Friday shrugged off speculation that the deal could hinder operations. Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.'s parent company, which is owned by Fortress Investment Group, brokered a deal Thursday on a $1.7 billion loan that was coming due. Although one analyst suggested that the agreement would force Intrawest to cut services, staffing and hours at its resorts, Intrawest spokesman Ian Galbraith brushed aside that idea.

Snow trumps stock swoon
Bob Berwyn, Summit Daily News
October 14, 2008
While the gloomy economic news doesn't seem to end these days, ski industry experts are still optimistic about the upcoming season, provided there's plenty of powder. Looking at trends for the past 19 years, RRC Associates president Nolan Rosall said statistics show that skier and snowboard visits have been more dominated by snow quality, temperatures and timing of snowfall than by economic factors or consumer confidence.

Vermont ski areas report strong preseason sales
Staff report, boston.com
October 12, 2008
Despite the financial anxiety, Vermont's ski areas are optimistic about the upcoming season, with a jump in season-pass sales and reservations on track or above last winter at some resorts. Visitors are calling the Vermont Ski Areas Association to book trips months ahead.

NSAA Predicts Economic Impacts Upon Ski Season Are Likely To Be Muted
Staff report, firsttracksonline.com
October 10, 2008
A report prepared for the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) concludes that the effects of the current economic downturn upon ski season visitation will be limited this year, unless well below-normal snowfall affects many regions of the U.S.

3 Maine ski resorts oppose proposed casino
David Sharp, Forbes Magazine
October 8, 2008
Three of the state's biggest ski resorts are joining the effort to defeat a proposed casino in western Maine, saying a casino would detract from the state's image as a family-friendly place to enjoy the outdoors.

Park City resort workers in need of rooms for rent
Christopher Smart, Salt Lake Tribune
October 9, 2008
Housing in Park City is so tight that there may not be enough rooms for seasonal workers who load chairlifts, shovel snow and pour beer at Utah's top destination ski town. A new program is seeking residents who would open their homes to winter workers, many of whom hail from South America and Australia - college students recruited by Park City area ski resorts for an adventure during what is their summer off.

Snowmass explores housing needs in detail
Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News
October 7, 2008
About three-quarters of Snowmass Village households probably need some kind of help to be able to afford housing in this increasingly expensive resort town, a recent survey found. RRC Associates of Boulder, which has done housing studies for Aspen and Pitkin County as well, presented its findings from a recent survey to Snowmass Village Town Council on Monday.

Whole Travel launches good site at bad time
Rafe Needleman, cnet.com
September 29, 2008
I'm not sure if this is a service I would choose to launch this week: Whole Travel is a new site, launching Tuesday, that's focused on sustainable or green travel. Given that most of us are likely to have a lot less green in the coming months, I worry about the concept. Still, CEO Matthew Davie says the time is right to shift the paradigm of travel search. He says that his audience is not price sensitive, nor date or location sensitive. Apparently, his 29- to 35-year-old demographic with $100k+ incomes can come and go when they please, but these folks do want to be eco-friendly when they're traipsing around the globe without a care in the world.

Whistler forecast reflects slowdown in tourism market
Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
September 30, 2008
The U.S. economic downturn is expected to result in a 15-per-cent drop in the number of American tourists to Whistler this winter, according to a Tourism Whistler spokesman.

Oregon Tourism Commission Unveils New Online Customer Service Training Program
Staff Report, Market Watch
August 26, 2008
The Oregon Tourism Commission launched its new free online Quality Care Customer Service Training Program (Q Care) this week on http://www.OregonQCare.com. Oregon Q Care is a training program created to support the tourism and hospitality industry through enhanced employee education. By emphasizing the importance of quality customer service, the training will equip employees with tools and resources to better serve Oregon's visitors.

Ski towns get attention at DNC
Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News
August 27, 2008
If you’re looking to get some exposure, the Democratic National Convention is a prime place to be, what with 15,000 media representatives humming around town and all. If you have something to promote or protest against, this is a good spot to get noticed.

Fresh Powder for Ski Towns
Kris Hudson, The Wall Street Journal
August 27, 2008
Related Cos. has built signature buildings that helped to transform neighborhoods in Manhattan, Phoenix and South Florida. Now, the big-market developer is attempting a $3 billion redevelopment to transform this prosperous Colorado ski town. Related's efforts to revamp the core of Snowmass Village, seven miles west of Aspen, is among the latest and most ambitious of many projects designed to overhaul Western America's aging ski towns -- many of which were built in the 1960s and 1970s.

Winter travel: fewer flights, elusive bargains
Michelle Higgins, New York Times news service
August 27, 2008
Last year, Nikki Frahm, operations manager at Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Forest Lake, Minn., arranged a February vacation for a family of four to Ixtapa, Mexico. They enjoyed the trip so much that last month, they called Frahm and asked her to sign them up for the same vacation this year. There's just one catch: The vacation may be the same, but the price will not.

Economy a factor in ’09 ski season outlook
Bob Berwyn, SUMMIT DAILY NEWS
August 18, 2008
Matching or breaking last season’s record number of skier visits may be as much a function of the economy as of good snow conditions, according to some industry experts. The quality of the snow overcame deteriorating economic conditions ... including declining consumer confidence, said Nolan Rosall, of RRC Associates. We also saw some patterns that reflected peoples’ desire to cut back on expenses, he added. People still wanted to ski. But with good conditions locally, there were fewer destination trips.

Key Cards For DNC Hotels Made From Wood
Staff Report, thedenverchannel.com
August 18, 2008
Wooden key cards will be given to guests at 35 Denver-area hotels during the DNC as part of the convention's green push. Boulder-based Sustainable Cards has spent years developing a way to create the cards and is donating them to the delegate hotels in hopes of getting bigger contracts with those chains later on.

Good snow, local visitors provide a lift to ski resorts
Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News
August 13, 2008
Abundant snowfall can draw skiers to the mountains even during a tough economy, but a new survey also suggests Colorado resorts are more likely to draw local visitors in the face of rising travel costs. Favorable snow conditions in the latest season helped the industry show resilience, given soaring energy prices, a mortgage crisis and rising unemployment, according to the Kottke end-of-season report prepared for the National Ski Areas Association.

With help from the Web, travel agents regain relevance
Michelle Higgins, New York Times News Service
August 13, 2008
Not long ago, the advent of online travel - allowing travelers to research and book their trips with a few clicks of a mouse - was thought to be a death knell for traditional travel agents. But faced with the increasing cost and unpredictability of travel today, vacationers seem to be returning to the fold.

Terrible Timing for a Hotel Boom
ABHA BHATTARAI and FRED A. BERNSTEIN, The New York Times
July 31, 2008
A record number of hotels are opening this year, and the timing could not be worse. High gasoline prices and a slumping economy have put a damper on leisure and business travel. Airlines have been cutting service and raising fares. While new hotels open, occupancy rates are falling across much of the United States. We're really on the verge, said Charles Snyder of Smith Travel Research, a firm based in Hendersonville, Tenn. It hasn't turned into a hotel recession just yet, but we're certainly keeping an eye on the economy.

Where Research and Tourism Collide
MICHELLE NIJHUIS, The New York Times
July 22, 2008
When Michael Soulé researched butterflies in this mountain valley in the early 1960s, the nearby town of Crested Butte was little more than a busted coal-mining settlement. You couldn't even buy a mug or a T-shirt, said Dr. Soulé, now a conservation biologist.

As Travel Costs Rise, More Meetings Go Virtual
STEVE LOHR, The New York Times
July 22, 2008
Jill Smart, an Accenture executive, was skeptical the first time she stepped into her firm's new videoconferencing room in Chicago for a meeting with a group of colleagues in London. But the videoconferencing technology, known as telepresence, delivered an experience so lifelike, Ms. Smart recalled, that 10 minutes into it, you forget you are not in the room with them.

Falwell, Jr. Announces Snow-Free Ski Slope
PR Newswire, Market Watch
July 21, 2008
A portion of Liberty University's 5,000-acre mountain range will be receiving a makeover in the coming months with the construction of a year-round ski slope known as the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center.

In Idaho, Ski Resort's Promise Fades
JUSTIN SCHECK, Wall Street Journal
July 7, 2008
The real-estate downturn is taking Western locales like this tiny mountain village down a familiar path: from boom to bust. A half-century ago, timber brought prosperity that ended abruptly in the 1990s. This time, a luxury ski development called Tamarack Resort has whipsawed the town's 158 residents.

Americans change travel habits, but for good?
TONY PUGH, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
July 6, 2008
Transportation experts say the current gasoline crisis, which is driven by price, is far different from those of the '70s, which were crises of availability. In fact, many think that today's soaring gas prices will have a more lasting impact on what we drive, how we drive and our collective attitude toward investment in mass transit.

Despite uncertainty, the more upscale still insist upon traveling
David Sharp, Associated Press
July 6, 2008
High gas prices may mean fewer families will be headed to the beach or the mountains this summer, but rising prices likely won't be keeping wealthy people from missing out on vacation. Although their stock portfolios may be in decline, wealthy Americans who are less likely to feel the impact of a slowing economy and rising energy and food prices are largely going ahead with their vacation plans even though consumer confidence is at a 16-year low.

Ski resorts offering higher subsidies to airlines
Staff Report, examiner.com
July 5, 2008
Higher airfares and trimmed flight schedules could end up raising the subsidies Colorado ski resorts pay airlines to bring out-of-state skiers to town this winter.

Gas prices at record high, holiday travel down
Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch
July 5, 2008
As gas prices hit a new high Saturday, Americans were seen cutting back on travel over the holiday weekend.The national average for regular unleaded gas was $4.103 on Saturday, up almost 3% from a month ago and up 39% from last year, according to the American Automobile Association's Fuel Gauge Report. With such heady fuel costs, AAA estimates that the number of Americans traveling during the Fourth of July holiday travel period fell for the first time this decade.