DestiMetrics lodging occupancies were just released and it’s a mixed bag. Winter bookings and lodging occupancies are holding their own and ended slightly up in December and January, as consistently good snow and steady demand has (to date, anyway) mitigated increasingly volatile economic news. Weekend occupancies in Vail & Avon continue to reach 90%+ (with Beaver Creek weekend occupancy just short of the 90% target) and weekday occupancies drop from the weekend peak but remain solid through the season. Presidents week occupancies look to match historical highs of 85%+, and March 19-26 looks to be the peak spring break week with very strong valley wide increased in occupancy expected.
Our booking pace continues to strengthen as we move through the season, yet February and March continue to lag behind last year’s pace. An early Easter holiday (March 27) is pushing historic April occupancy into late March, with April lodging occupancies throughout the Rocky Mountain region pacing behind last year – and specifically in our area with the ski mountains closing a week earlier than in past years. Reason for optimism: reservations booked in January for all future dates were up significantly compared to January 2015, which gives reason for confidence for the remainder of the winter season.
Enplanements at Eagle County Regional Airport were up 9% in December yet are still trending downward year over year. Looking ahead to summer, new non-stop summer flight service has been announced from Los Angeles to Eagle (joining Dallas, Houston, and Denver).
Links of interest:
International Travel to the US Declines as the Dollar Grows Stronger: https://skift.com/2016/02/03/international-travel-to-the-u-s-declines-as-the-dollar-grows-stronger/
How the Strong Dollar is Hurting US Tourism: http://www.marketplace.org/2015/12/17/economy/strong-dollar-tourism
US Travel Association Travel Trends: https://www.ustravel.org/press/travel-trends-index-surging-domestic-leisure-travel-offsets-softening-business-international