Industry News
According to The Wall Street Journal, Aspen Skiing Co. CEO, Mike Kaplan, blames President Donald Trump for the 30% decrease in Mexican visitors throughout the 2016/17 ski season compared to 2015/16. Sadly, bookings for the 2017/18 season aren’t looking much better than the last. He referred to the actions of Trump as being bad for business and that he needs to stop.
“Last year visitation to Aspen by Mexicans dropped 30 percent compared with the 2015-16 ski season. Bookings for 2017-18 aren’t looking much better. There are multiple reasons, but the xenophobia radiating from the Oval Office ranks at the top,” stated Aspen Skiing Co. CEO, Mike Kaplan.
Tourism plays a key roll in the success of Aspen Skiing Co., which is why Mike Kaplan is so adamant to discuss the topic. The New York Times compiled information from the U.S. Department of Commerce which revealed a drop of nearly 700,000 international visitors to the United States in the first quarter of 2017, compared to that of 2016. The biggest of which was a 10.1% drop in European visitors, along with a 7.1% drop in Mexican visitors.
“While his defenders will argue Mr. Trump has only been singling out illegal aliens, the affluent Mexicans who would normally visit Aspen seem to disagree. If President Trump is as concerned with the U.S. trade deficit as he says, he should recognize that tourism to the U.S. is a type of export to other countries. Foreign visitors come here and spend their money. The U.S. destinations they visit cannot be ‘off-shored’ or moved to Mexico,” stated Kaplan.
Aspen has seen the biggest drop in visitors from Mexico, but Kaplan said if the negative messages continue to come from the White House, then other international tourists will take their business elsewhere as well. The Vail Daily reached out to Kaplan on Thursday and learned that he submitted the column because the season is near and the uncertainty remains.
“The uncertainty around immigration and foreign travel continues to linger. We thought appealing to Trump on business grounds might resonate with him and the administration,” stated Kaplan when speaking with the Vail Daily on Thursday.
every single comment in this thread with the exception of mine was made by a damned racist who can’t see reality for what it is. This is SKI RELATED NEWS YOU RACIST GAS BAGS!!!! WTF about the rhetoric and garbage coming out of an illegitimate isn’t driving foreign tourists away ?? especially ones from Mexico ?? You know what you stinking assholes ?? There are people in Mexico who come here on vacation and go home right ??? Unreal. even in ski land there are pigs like Isaac, Casey and Bob.
Mike Kaplan Is that you?
Spot on Isaac
Dear Snow Brains,
Is it too much to ask to keep your website dedicated to the fun of the sport. Just look at what’s happening to ESPN’s ratings with their blend of leftist rhetoric with sports. It is an indication that people don’t want sports and fun mixed with politics.
Clearly, Aspen is left leaning. Clearly, they only care about revenue loss. And instead of finding ways to fix it, they peddle the blame to the easiest figure to blame.
Maybe they should focus on creating an ambiance of multiculturalism in their resort towns. But, that would go against the real estate developers that only cater to the 1%. The real estate market is eliminating ordinary folks in resort towns. Only the super rich are welcome. And that’s the way Aspen likes it, because that boosts profit.
I’m sorry, but I have no sympathy for the CEO of Aspen Resorts. He may not be able to buy that new 100 ft yacht this year. He can blame it on Trump all he wants.
But, SnowBrains doesn’t have to be part of the CEO’s plight. Bring us the good news. Bring us the excitement. Leave the politics out.
Cheers.
Well said Isaac. I have also noticed that SnowBrains has bumped up their political content over the last few weeks and it has become a huge turnoff. If I want to read political content I will go to any one of the million news outlets on the web. Let’s keep it about the Powder and get back to what got you here.