Ski Utah President and CEO Nathan Rafferty said one new trend is apparent when looking at visitor data for the state’s 15 ski resorts from winter 2023-2024.
“We have seen just this last year an uptick in local visits,” Rafferty said. “There are two reasons. A lot of people are moving here to Utah, because of the great recreational opportunities. And then the sale of these multi-area passes. If you’ve got a pass in your pocket that’s good for multiple ski areas, you’re going to ski a ton.”
Rafferty didn’t provide exact numbers on how many Utahns are visiting local resorts.
He said California and New York remain the largest out-of-state markets.
“Texas has inched up over the last few years,” Raffery said. “In the last decade actually, since the big multi-area passes have come online, Denver never was on our radar. And we see an increasing number of green license plates showing up in our state, skiing real snow.”
In total, Ski Utah reported 6.7 million skier visits this past season, which ranks second all-time. It’s about a 5% dip from the 2022-2023 winter, which saw historic snow levels and a record 7.1 million skier visits in Utah.
A visit is recorded every time an individual uses a lift ticket or pass. Ski Utah has access to loads of data thanks to the radio frequency identification technology, or RFID, in ski passes. RFID tags track the movement of skiers and riders between lifts and resorts.
Rafferty will be part of the Utah delegation going to Paris next week, where Salt Lake City expects to be named host of the 2034 Winter Olympics.
He said he plans to use the trip to network and learn from another Olympic host city.
“I think it’s really important,” Rafferty said. “We’re only going to have so many opportunities to understand how future Olympic host cities continue to maintain tourism during that Olympic year. And we saw a huge drop here in 2002. Now 2034, the landscape is just totally different. Our city’s changed. Our state has changed so much. But it’s something that we’re very focused on, is making sure that that’s still going to be a successful season.”
Rafferty will also market Utah’s skiing destinations in New York City later this year, as part of an annual meetup with travel writers and influencers.
