Lift lines remain long at Colorado ski resorts during holiday weekends, but of those in line, fewer are from out of the country.
The Colorado Ski Country Trade Group says a strong U.S. dollar is causing many international ski and ride travelers to find other, more affordable countries to visit.
It’s a dip in the local economy that experts say is anticipated.
Resorts like Copper Mountain rely mostly on in-state and U.S. visitors for their primary income, but say they’re always offering deals in an attempt to bring in more people from around the country and world.
“We do offer quite a few deals that we try to strive to make the ski vacation affordable with things like three is the magic number, which is a lodging and lift ticket deal, but we also do online lift ticket sales, you can save by buying them online on our website,” said Stephanie Sweeney, Communications Manager for Copper Mountain.
Sweeney says any lost income from fewer international travelers, is made up for with those coming from surrounding states.
“We see a lot of skiers and riders coming in from all parts of the nation but especially from Colorado since we are so close to Denver and DIA,” said Sweeney.
Latest reports from 2014 indicate that international travelers add $2.5 billion dollars to Colorado’s economy. It’s still unclear how much that may drop in a year like 2016 when the dollar is stronger.
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