As the season draws to a close, American resorts have
been spinning up reasons why another consecutive fall
in visitor numbers isn't so bad.
"I
can say we've had another strong year that appears
to be exceptional in the context of the industry nationwide,"
said Jim Felton, communications director for Breckenridge
Ski Resort, which closes Sunday.
This
is despite a fall in Colorado skier visits of 17%
in December, although once initial low snowfall and
the 'millennium bug' passed, numbers did improve.
No official figures are out yet, but it does seem
that Breckenridge has fared better than Vail.
Bill Jensen, chief operating officer for Vail Mountain
has claimed that "Skier volumes from mid-January on
were strong enough that they balanced out the low-snow
challenges in the early season and the Christmas millennium
issues."
However,
Vail dropped 16%
and Breckenridge is now recognised as the most-visited
ski resort in the United States.
