Thursday, June 09, 2005

Strong Year for Colorado Skiing

Colorado's ski resorts posted their third-best season in 2004/05, with a total of 11.81 million skiers.

"We were up in all categories," said Rob Perlman, president and chief executive of Colorado Ski Country USA, at the industry trade group's recent annual meeting.

This past season bought an increase of more than 550,000 visits over the 2003/04 season.

Fueled by the weakened U.S. dollar, Colorado's $2.5 billion ski industry saw a 28 percent increase in international visitors. An additional 200,000 foreign skiers and riders visited Colorado's 25 ski resorts compared with last year.

The United Kingdom, Colorado's largest international market, sent 31 percent more skiers than in 2003/04.

Next season, Colorado ski resorts should see a record-breaking 12 million skier visits, Perlman predicted. The record of 11.98 million skier visits was set in 1997/98.

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