Mountain Travel News

Hotel Data Show Rising Rates For Upper Tiers

Mtn Travel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:12:16 +0000

Upper hotel tiers increased rates year over year in June, while lower tiers continued to see rates fall, according to data released on Wednesday by Smith Travel Research.

Overall for June, U.S. hotel occupancy climbed to 65 percent, up 6.9 percent from its levels in June of 2009. Average daily rate increased by 1 percent, and revenue per available room was up 8 percent.

“While this is certainly an encouraging sign, virtually all the increase in room rates was found in upper-end hotels and those in New York City,” STR president Mark Lomanno said in a statement. “The industry’s recovery will not be in full swing until room rate increases are seen in a much wider swath of industry segments.”

Source: Business Travel News

Early Signs of a Hotel Rebound

Mtn Travel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:08:24 +0000

The hotel industry in the United States appears to be rebounding this summer, mainly because of strengthening business travel.

So far the biggest beneficiary is New York, though other cities on the East Coast are starting to report gains as well. And the upscale, full-service hotels that have long been favored by business travelers have benefited more from the upturn in demand than the midlevel brands, industry analysts say.

The rebound, said Mark V. Lomanno, president of Smith Travel Research of Hendersonville, Tenn., is “top-down.” The more expensive hotels, he said, “are recovering the fastest, and will continue to do so this summer, as business travelers come back.”

Source: The New York Times

Sabre Preps ‘Total Pricing’ To Include Fees In Airfare Shopping

Mtn Travel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:03:41 +0000

Sabre this month and next will launch in installments its “Air Total Pricing” system for air transactions, which it said would enable travel agents and other bookers to see the true cost of an airline itinerary, inclusive of any applicable add-on fees—from baggage fees to seat assignments—before booking a flight.

Sabre said the developments aim to solve many of the comparison-shopping problems that have frustrated travel buyers, but the booking and fulfillment portion of the equation isn’t likely to be solved until later this year.

While price, schedule and citypair remain dominant air shopping criteria, the proliferation of ancillary fees has clouded the experience, said Sabre vice president of marketing Kyle Moore, much as taxes, fees or other add-ons prompted similar “Total Pricing” initiatives for rental car and hotel, released by Sabre in the past decade.

Source: Business Travel News

Travel group seeks $500 million for Gulf tourism

Mtn Travel — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:07:59 +0000

The head of the U.S. Travel Association is proposing that BP set aside $500 million for a marketing campaign to help draw tourists to the Gulf Coast.

Association president and CEO Roger Dow has made the proposal in prepared testimony to a House panel looking at the oil spill’s impact on tourism.

Dow says in his remarks that a study his group commissioned found the spill could result in lost tourism in coastal areas to the tune of $22.7 billion over three years. He says the $500 million could come from either $20 billion BP has set aside to pay for economic damages or could be added to it.

Source: The Associated Press

Latest sales tax for tourism numbers well ahead of projections

Mtn Travel — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:05:34 +0000

The city of Myrtle Beach has collected a lot more in sales tax for tourism development than its financial experts had predicted.

Budget director Michael Shelton had estimated the city would take in about $15 million in the first 12 months the 1 percent sales tax was being collected, and with the latest check received from the state, the city’s 10-month total is $14.2 million — and that doesn’t count sales tax collections for June and July, two of the year’s busiest months.

The city just received a check for $4.8 million that covers sales tax generated during March, April and May of this year — an amount 32 percent higher than Shelton had projected.

Source: TheSunNews.com

Udall ski-area alternative activity bill clears committee vote

Mtn Travel — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:21:25 +0000

Sen. Mark Udall’s bill to promote year-round recreation at ski areas cleared a critical committee vote late last week and is headed to a vote of the full U.S. Senate.

First introduced in 2008 and then revived last summer, the bill is not without controversy. It seeks to revamp a 1986 law governing ski-area permits on U.S. Forest Service so that the federal agency has more latitude to allow recreation other than skiing.

“Ski areas are a critical part of our state’s recreational and tourist economy – but many struggle to provide jobs during the summer months,” Udall said in a release after the bill was approved by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Source: The Colorado Independent

Pillow talk: Supply & demand in mountain travel destinations

Mtn Travel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:52:24 +0000

A peculiar theme kept popping up during a recent trip around the mountain resorts of New England: pillows. During the day, I worked with a group of resort destinations in the area testing how they might work together to better track and understand their destination traffic. In industry-speak, this means discussing the “pillows” available and occupied each night, and the resulting revenue produced for the resort community. As a guest myself, I experienced the fierce competition among lodging properties to provide the perfect pillow, a contest that has since extended to sheet thread count, comforters and even towels.

So what’s the importance of all this pillow talk? Well, each kind of pillow has a special significance for this new reality in which we live and do business.

Source: Summit Daily News

Gulf Coast Tourism To Be Hit Up To 3 Years: Study

Mtn Travel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:50:58 +0000

Tourism along the Gulf coast will take three years to recover from the Deepwater Horizon spill and the region could lose nearly $23 billion in revenue over that time period, a new study released today says.

That’s the “high impact”, or worst-case, scenario, according to Oxford Economics in a report prepared for the U.S. Travel Association. On the other end of the spectrum, tourism could return to “normal” levels by late 2011, with loses of $7.6 billion.

The study, Potential Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill on Tourism, uses the similar-sized 1979 Ixtoc spill off Mexico’s coast for comparison. It took three years for the beaches there to return to pre-spill conditions.

Source: NPR

Officials say there is no dengue fever epidemic in Key West

Mtn Travel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:50:04 +0000

A woman planning a vacation in Key West called the Health Department there last week to ask if it were true that the city was being evacuated because of an epidemic of dengue fever.

“No!” Chris Tittel, a spokesman for the Monroe County Health Department, says he told her. “No, no, no, no, no.”

Without a doubt, there is dengue, a viral illness spread by mosquitoes, in Key West, although at 27 known cases last year and 18 so far this year, it is hardly what most people would call an epidemic. It is the first outbreak in Florida since 1934.

Parts of the Caribbean and Central America are having epidemics.

Source: St. Petersburg Times (TampaBay.com)

Myrtle Beach seeing higher revenues from tourism tax

Mtn Travel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:48:25 +0000

The City of Myrtle Beach is seeing high returns from their 1-percent Tourism Development Fee.

City officials say the amount received was 32-percent higher than estimated. These recent quarterly collection receipts to-date account for $14,246,800.91.

Sales transactions from this recent report range from the months of March, April and May.

Source: WMBFNews.com

Companies Ordered to Pay Hotel Taxes to Atlanta

Mtn Travel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:47:12 +0000

A Fulton County judge has ordered that online travel companies that help people book hotel rooms in Atlanta must begin paying the city a bigger share of occupancy taxes.

The order signed Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Alford Dempsey could generate millions of dollars in additional revenue for the city from 17 Internet travel companies that include Expedia Inc. and Travelocity.com.

Andrew Weinstein of the Interactive Travel Services Association says that the companies are disappointed by parts of the ruling and will likely appeal the tax-related decision.

Source: ABC News

The residents of which U.S. city spend the most on travel?

Mtn Travel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:46:06 +0000

The answer is in an interesting report Top 15 Spending Cities – Travel out today from Bundle.com, a website that tracks how Americans spend their money.

In 2009, the average American household spent $1,571 on travel, which includes airfare, rental cars, hotel stays and the like.

But residents of Arlington, Va., spent more than twice that, doling out $3,534. Arlington is an affluent Washington, D.C., suburb with a large concentration of federal employees, government contractors and lobbyists, which might explain why they’re so on the go.

Source: USATODAY.com

The end of rollerblading and cross-country ski machines

Mtn Travel — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:46:14 +0000

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has combed through the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s 64-page annual report on sports participation in America and found these numbers about how many of us are doing what.

* If you own a cross country ski machine it’s probably in the attic. Use of those is down 52.7% over the last nine years.

* Rollerbladers are rapidly disappearing, with participants in inline wheel sports down 62.2% the past nine years.

* Scuba diving is the sport with the best financial demographics, with 50% of participants making $100,000 or more. But water sports are losing their appeal, with jet skiing down 18.5% over the last nine years, and water skiing taking a 44.5% hit.

Source: USA TODAY

U.S. Travel: Spill could cost Gulf up to $23B in visitor spending

Mtn Travel — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:35:59 +0000

Tourism businesses in the Gulf Coast region could lose between $7.6 billion and $22.7 billion in visitor spending over the next three years, according to research commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association.

In addition to developing a roadmap of recommended actions for the government, U.S. Travel explicity endorsed an idea floated earlier this month whereby BP would set set up a $500 million emergency marketing fund that would be disbursed as grants to local destinations for information and marketing campaigns.

On the government side, U.S. Travel’s roadmap included proposals for tax breaks to local businesses, Commerce Department trade missions to bring foreign travel companies to the region and a “white list” for meetings and conventions that would encourage federal and local governments to hold meetings and conferences in recovering destinations.

Source: Travel Weekly

K2 Skis moves to Facebook, abandons website

Mtn Travel — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:05:35 +0000

K2 Skis, famously known for all types of ski innovation, have temporarily shut down their website and will be debuting their new page later this month; traffic is now being redirected to the company’s Facebook page.

The K2 Facebook page offers many of the same features that are on nearly every company’s corporate website. Their Facebook page contains product information, ski videos and various pictures in an easily accessible form. K2’s strategy of putting all their content on Facebook could start a revolution among companies wanting to reach a broader audience than they already do. If companies are willing to make the switch over to Facebook they will see the price of maintenance drop, user feedback increase, and have the potential to reach a broader audience.

Facebook was recently more visited than Google, so there is no denying that a move to Facebook is a great idea. When companies post their products on Facebook it will be possible for consumers to give feedback and generate more hype for its release. The only potential downside is that negative reviews could be posted. However, companies can attempt to directly resolve any issues with unsatisfied customers by reaching out to them on Facebook through comments or support, allowing the company to show dedication to excellence and that they care about each and every customer.

Source: The Ski Channel

Ski Lake Tahoe Resorts Report Double-Digit Gains in Visitation

Mtn Travel — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:03:55 +0000

Ski Lake Tahoe and its seven ski and snowboard resorts – Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Squaw Valley USA – reported a 17 percent increase in skier visitation for the 2009-10 winter season. Ski Lake Tahoe President John Wagnon credits the visitation increase to great snow conditions and unbeatable vacation deals. These deals could stem from the local Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RTIA) increasing the amount of flights into the Lake Tahoe area, never being shut down due to snow, and discounted flights from skier-friendly Southwest Airlines.

First Track Online Ski mag says the riding was good for nearly 9 months:

Source: TransWorld Business

Take a hike – and kayak, ski or ride a bike – to redefine senior moments

Mtn Travel — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:02:46 +0000

It could be argued that once you’re over the hill, you pick up speed.

Physicists understand that. Skiers understand that.

And members of a local group of spry seniors definitely understand that.

That phrase is the motto of the Over the Hill Gang of Los Angeles, a group of singles and couples age 50 and older devoted to maintaining an active lifestyle despite persistent encouragements to slow down.

Source: L.A. Daily News

Will Google Set Up a Travel Shop?

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:44:23 +0000

Speculation over whether Google would buy ITA Software, the developer of the QPX shopping software that revolutionized airfare shopping, swirled throughout the travel industry for more than two months. Now that Google has confirmed that it intends to buy the Cambridge, MA-based technology company, a new wave of speculation is swirling over what Google intends to do with it.

Is Google going to set up shop as the ultimate online travel agency? Will it create a “game changer” in the industry, as some have predicted?

Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, has been vague about the company’s intentions. He has expressed frustration with the online air fare shopping process, leading some industry pundits to note that more than a few of the online sites he has likely used are powered by ITA. He has complained that air fares change all the time, but that problem cannot be solved by ITA; the airlines control those changes, not websites.

Source: Travel Market Report

Mexico launches media blitz

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:35:15 +0000

After months without an advertising campaign in the U.S. and during one of the most difficult periods for Mexico’s tourism industry, the Mexico Tourism Board has launched TV and print ads in the U.S. and Canada.

The TV spots, designed by JWT, carry a new MTB message and tagline “Mexico, The Place You Thought You Knew” and emphasize new Tourism Minister Gloria Guevara’s initiative to show cultural and natural destinations in Mexico that are unfamiliar to many Americans, while also displaying the sun-and-sand spots that many American travelers already know and love.

Print and TV ads will run through November in magazines and on cable TV channels. One print ad features a view of a hilltop church in Cholula, in the central Mexican state of Puebla, with copy that reads, “The biggest pyramid in the world? With a church on top?” Another includes a close-up view of a monarch butterfly in the central Mexican state of Michoacan with text that reads, “A place so magical they fly 3,000 miles just to get there. Each year.”

Source: Travel Weekly

Plan for North Miami indoor ski resort takes a tumble

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:31:25 +0000

Three months after Solar Mountain announced it would transform North Miami’s Biscayne Landing site into a vast winter-themed amusement park, the project has been dropped altogether.

The group backed out, said Norman Canter, the project’s founder, after several issues were not resolved with the trustee.

“The trust had not lived up to what we asked them to do,” Canter said.

Solar Mountain was selected in April as the leading bidder to acquire the note from Wells Fargo on the 193-acre North Miami site off Northeast 151st Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

Source: Miami Herald

Season ski pass slashed by 1/4

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:29:13 +0000

It’s about to get a lot cheaper to ski at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Unless you have a lot of children, that is.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort announced it will slash the August price of its all-mountain season pass to $1,255, a 25 percent reduction from last year’s price of $1,670. The price increases to $1,570 after August.

The new deal is called the Grand Pass and offers unlimited skiing for all 128 days of the season with no restrictions. It marks the lowest price for an all-mountain pass at the resort since the 1980s.

Source: Jackson Hole News & Guide

Taking a Ride on the Tequila Express

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:12:32 +0000

“Where’s the worm?” asked the gentleman behind me as he scrutinized his first libation of the day onboard the Tequila Express train.

“That’s only certain mezcals,” said our server. “You’ll never find a gusano [worm] in genuine tequila.”

This was one of many lessons learned during our train trek onboard the Tequila Express from Guadalajara to the town of Amatitan and Hacienda San Jose del Refugio in Mexico’s state of Jalisco.

Source: Travel Age West

Germany wants to charge fliers up to $33 departure tax

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:11:17 +0000

Germany is the latest European nation to propose a tax on air passengers, potentially making it more expensive to fly between there and the U.S.

Germany’s departure tax would be as high as $33 per flier leaving on long-haul flights, such as trips to the USA, according to a draft of the bill obtained by the Associated Press.

Shorter flights, to other parts of the European Union, for example, and nations such as Turkey and Russia, would lead to a levy of more than $16.

The proposed tax, which airlines would likely tack onto airfares, comes on the heels of similar levies imposed by Britain and Ireland. The Netherlands also had imposed a charge but rescinded it. Their governments touted the charges as ways to offset the environmental damage caused by air travel.

Source: USA TODAY

NBTA Calls on Congress to End States’ Car-Rental Tax Bites

Mtn Travel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:09:56 +0000

It’s high time the federal government took some steps to prevent state legislators – in their mad dash for cash – from treating the car-rental operations as an omnipresent cash cow by unfairly yoking them indiscriminately with taxes that, more often than not, are diverted to pay for non-related items.

Such was the call to action issued by National Business Travel Association (NBTA) executive director and COO Michael McCormick in support of H.R. 4175 (the “End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act of 2009”) at a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.

What’s more, the NBTA wasn’t alone in decrying the undue burden such practices place on car-rental businesses, their customers and the overall travel arena as representatives from several other major industry organizations, including the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), stood up to be counted in support of the bill’s passage as well.

Source: Travel Market Report

Comparing airfares plus extra fees should be easier, travel managers say

Mtn Travel — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:49:57 +0000

Since airlines began to add new fees for such extras as checked bags, pillows and food, passengers have been griping about the increased costs.

Now, some of the harshest criticism of airline fees is coming from travel managers who oversee millions of dollars in travel spending for large businesses.

The managers are frustrated that the fees are not disclosed through computer distribution systems and independent travel agencies that they use to compare airline fares and predict annual travel costs.

They have a good reason for wanting detailed information on the cost of flying.

Source: LA Times

The Ski Channel Announces Long-Term Comcast On Demand Deal – Bringing Total Homes to 43MM

Mtn Travel — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:47:43 +0000

Steve Bellamy, Chairman and CEO of The Ski Channel television network (http://www.theskichannel.com), announced today that it has entered into a long-term distribution agreement with Comcast that will provide the channel’s original programming, Warren Miller movies, Greg Stump films, destination travel, instructional videos and events to Comcast On Demand customers. This deal brings the 18-month-old network to more than 43 million US households between all television distributors. Additionally, the network has produced a slate of original films and will launch a national film tour in the fall.

“Our deal with Comcast enables us to reach skiers and snow sports enthusiasts in destination ski areas and local and ski destination feeder markets,” said Bellamy. “The fact that Comcast is innovative and advancing television technology enhances the value proposition immensely for us as we too are on the cutting edge of technology.”

Source: MarketWatch.com

BP Refuses to Give an Additional $50 Million for Florida Tourism Ads

Mtn Travel — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:02:03 +0000

BP is refusing to fork over an additional $50 million to Florida Governor Charlie Crist that would be used to promote tourism to the Sunshine State.

During a round-table discussion Tuesday about the oil spill’s impact on the state’s economy, Crist made the announcement that BP is not going to provide more money for ads.

Crist has already received $25 million from BP to help promote Florida beaches. The governor said that even though the oil company continues to air ads on their own behalf promoting their cleanup efforts, BP rejected giving additional funds to Florida.

Source: CheapOAir.com

Lake Tahoe ski resorts report second busiest season in history

Mtn Travel — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:49:31 +0000

With summer sweltering the area with heat, Lake Tahoe ski resorts have tallied numbers from the 2009-10 season, announcing a 17 percent increase in skier visits.

According to a Friday announcement from Ski Lake Tahoe — a group composed of Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Mt. Rose, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley USA — 2009-10 was the second busiest season ever for Tahoe, and more than four times the national average recorded by the National Ski Area Association.

The resorts attributed the visitor influx to the more than 600 inches of snow that fell — double the national average — and a long winter with some ski lifts operating from Halloween through the Fourth of July.

Source: TahoeBonanza.com

Good News For Gulf Tourism As BP Finally Plugs Oil Leak

Mtn Travel — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:46:50 +0000

At last some respite for Gulf Tourism as BP finally managed to stop oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. BP managed to plug oil leak in gulf of Mexico three months after the disaster.

BP announced that a cap placed on the well has successfully managed to block the flow of oil into the ocean however company still needs to conduct some tests to make sure that the well has been plugged properly. These tests will take at least 48 hours to confirm BP success in curbing oil spill.

Source: Easy Destination Blog

Economist debate whether national debt has a tipping point

Mtn Travel — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:40:38 +0000

Policymakers across the globe are struggling with a question that U.S. consumers have long wrestled with — how much is too much when it comes to debt?

Some economists argue that the government needs to take on more debt to support spending if it is to avoid a deeper economic decline. But others, such as financier David Stockman, say the country has reached a point of no return.

“Permanently adding trillions to an already staggering national debt to create spending and jobs that were an illusion in the first place, hardly constitutes sound economic policy,” Stockman wrote at the start of the year.

Source: The Denver Post