Travel Agent - Ski University - (Page S1) SKI UNIVERSITY Peak Sales The latest research finds the ski market to be a stable, growing, profitable choice One can speak with longing about the magic of a winter vacation spent among good friends, close family and spectacular mountain scenery. But as travel agents are well aware, it’s often money that does the talking. And in the case of the ski/snowboard market, money speaks with a clear and compelling voice. That is true in part because what’s always been true about skiing and snowboarding remains so: Agents with a little knowledge of the market can make a mint on the trips by earning commission on many of their components. Leading tour operator Ski.com, for one, pays 10 percent commission on lodging, lift tickets, ground transportation, equipment rentals and travel insurance, with commission also available on some flights and ski school programs. The price tag for large families can easily stretch into the tens of thousands of dollars, potentially resulting in a four-figure commission check for you. In addition, the latest research finds that ski/ snowboard is a multibillion-dollar, highly stable market, showing modest annual growth. Last year was the most robust year the ski/snowboard world has ever seen, and the segment’s greatest growth has been in some of the most lucrative demographic categories: travelers 45 to 54 and 55 to 64. And with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver approaching, researchers suggest that interest in skiing and snowboarding in North America is likely to reach a crescendo. All this leads to one basic, undeniaBeaver Creek | Vail Resorts Welcome to ble point: Right now is the perfect time to boost your knowledge of the ski/snowboard segment. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), the major trade association for ski/snowboard mountains, reported this year in its Kottke End of Season Survey that the 2007-08 season saw a record 60.5 million visits in 2007-08, up 2.7 percent from the previous record of 58.9 million visits, which was set in 2005-06. In part, NSAA said, these increases were caused by improved weather conditions and abundant snowfall. Also, NSAA said, the numbers of ski visits to the Rocky Mountains—by far the region with the most ski areas and skiers—saw the fourth consecutive record. The number of Rocky Mountain visitors rose by 2.3 percent, to 21.324 million. As for Colorado, trade association group Colorado Ski Country USA posted its secondhighest total ever, at 12,540,603 visits; only the previous year’s number (2006-07) was higher, at 12,566,299 visits. Among Colorado Ski Country USA’s destination resorts—where, after all, travel agents are likely to be sending clients—a record of 3,865,427 visits was set in 2007-08. REVENUE GROWING It’s not just the number of visits that is showing growth. Independent firm IBISWorld finds an increase in ski market revenue for the past year, with total revenue of approximately $2.45 billion, a 3 percent increase over revenues generated in 2007. In the five years leading up to 2008, IBISWorld said, the industry has observed average annual increases of 3.3 percent. Its forecast for 2009 is for revenue of $2.53 billion, another increase of 3.3 percent. Perhaps more importantly, IBISWorld finds low volatility in the ski industry, with revenue fluctuations of less than 3 percentage points, indicating an overall stability rather than a boomand-bust pattern. In the ski/snowboard industry, IBISWorld says, the top two players account for approximately 50 percent of the industry’s revenue, with leader Intrawest Corp. at 28 percent, and Vail Resorts at 22 percent. The industry faces increased competition from warm-weather resorts and from larger ski resorts, according to IBISWorld; the trend in the last five years has been for small, privately owned operators to lose market share and close operations. IBISWorld’s researchers project that the industry will grow at an annual rate of 2.7 percent during the five-year period leading to 2013, with the strongest increases to occur in the years http://www.Ski.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.