WinterSports2002.com, Friday, March 22, 2002

Utah ski resorts expect business to soar next year

They say Olympics have created a big demand for venues

By Dave Anderton
Deseret News business writer

SNOWBIRD — Ski tour companies are raving over last month's Winter Games, expecting a surge in sales of Utah ski packages next winter.

That's welcome news to an industry recovering from the economic fallout of a national recession and Sept. 11.

"The Winter Olympics did wonderful things for the ski industry. I think it is going to create a lot of demand. In fact, it already has in vacations to these Olympic venues," said David Tanner, president of the Ski Tour Operators Association Network, a trade group of tour companies and suppliers meeting at Snowbird this week.

Tanner, also president and owner of Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Vacations, sells ski packages to 25 of the top Western ski resorts, including Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Deer Valley and Whistler. Most of his customers are families from the East Coast and Midwest looking for a good value in a ski vacation.

The Olympics, Tanner said, have generated new interest in Utah, prompting some to book packages as early as this month.

"We have people, for example, who are in Park City and Deer Valley right now. You can see plenty of signs of the fact that the Olympics were just there. It's fresh. They are still taking down stuff," he said.

In addition to increased interest, the Olympics, he said, changed perceptions over Salt Lake City's image.

"It showed that the city is a cosmopolitan, active place. It's not a sleepy, little Western town at all. It's a place you can have a good time."

Although total skier visits to Utah this year are expected to be down 10 to 15 percent, next year a hike in visits is predicted, according to Kip Pitou, president of Ski Utah.

"We think Utah did an amazing job with the Olympics," said Lance Cygielman of Jackson Hole-based Ski Vacation Planners. "The positive publicity is going to generate tons of new business for us next year. I think Utah is finally on the map. The pretty pictures we saw on TV are going to convert to sales for us."

Ski tour operators, intimately familiar with the resorts and areas they market, specialize in creating destination packages that cater to individuals, groups and businesses. The packages are sold directly to customers or through travel agencies.

"I don't think there are more famous resorts than Utah," said Ken Cutcliffe, vice president of Boston-based Target Sport Adventures. "Anybody that is in the ski business for any length of time knows Utah."

Andi McClure-Mysza, president and owner of Sportours, a Los Angeles-based wholesaler of skiing, scuba diving and high-end golf vacations, said she expects next year's sales of Utah ski packages to be up over this year.

"There is a pent-up demand now. There are people who maybe wanted to ski Park City or Snowbird this year and for whatever reason just thought that the Olympics occurred for four months instead of two weeks. . . . I think it will also help areas like Snowbasin that really wasn't on the map," McClure-Mysza said.

Richard Savage, director of ski programs for Toronto-based Merit Travel Group Inc., started promoting Utah ski packages two years ago, banking that the Olympics would offer a new incentive for skiers to visit Utah.

Utah, he said, traditionally is probably closer to the bottom of the list when it comes to destination packages for Canadians.

But he thinks that will change. Recently he promoted a package called "After the Gold Rush," playing off the Canadian hockey team wins.

"It was met by pretty decent response," Savage said.

Typically skiers don't buy packages until late summer or fall. And following Sept. 11, a lot of skiers stopped booking in advance. However, tour operators remain optimistic about next year's sales and Utah's new fame.

"We are going to gear our marketing efforts toward Utah," Cygielman said. "We want to ride the coattails of the Olympics. I think Utah is in for a banner year next year. I think the secret is out."

E-MAIL: danderton@desnews.com

© 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company