Industry News
The State of Utah has 15 ski resorts and is one of the best skiing destinations in the United States. It’s home to some of the most famous ski areas in America, such as Snowbird and Alta. The record-breaking snowfall during the 2022/2023 ski season caused ski areas to report some of the highest visitor revenue of all time. However, this season didn’t follow the footsteps of the last in either snowfall or visitor numbers.
While it certainly wasn’t as good as the 2022/2023 season, this season still saw some decent snowfall. Alta reported over 628 inches of snowfall throughout the season. While this is 270 inches less than in the record-breaking 2022/20223 season, it is still well above the seasonal average of 500 inches.
6.75 million people spent a day in Utah’s ski areas during the most recent ski season. This is 6% less than the previous season but still exceeds the 2021/2022 season by 15%. This is also the state’s second-best season in terms of visitor numbers ever. A visit is defined as one skier or snowboarder skiing in a ski resort in Utah for a day.
Utah’s economy profits immensely from tourism and visits: 98,600 jobs are dependent on tourism and visits by tourists. Tourism is also responsible for $ 23 billion of economic output in the state, which is the value of goods and services produced by tourism.
“We are immensely proud of this season’s success and extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who contributed to making it memorable, from our hardworking resort staff to the passionate skiers and snowboarders who choose Utah, thank you for your dedication and support,” Ski Utah’s CEO Nathan Rafferty said in an official statement. The Utah Ski and Snowboard Association (Ski Utah) is an organization that promotes the state’s ski and snowboard industry.
Rafferty is optimistic about the coming years: “The future is bright for Utah with a variety of capital investments slated ahead of the 2024–25 season and the potential announcement of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games returning to Utah,” he told the press.
Salt Lake City is one of the top contenders for the 2034 Olympics and has hosted the competition once before, in 2002. This caused skier visitor numbers to plummet during the busy Winter Games since skiers were displaced to other states. However, skier visitation numbers increased after the competition finished and the games had an overall positive effect on Utah in terms of long-term visitation numbers.
Related Article: How the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City Could Affect Utah’s Economy and Housing Market
