A temporary downturn in the Sun Valley-Ketchum tourist economy is expected to rebound in the near future.
That was the message conveyed Thursday, Feb. 10, by Carol Waller, executive director of the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, as she gave a quarterly report to the Sun Valley City Council.
"Things look very good in March," Waller said.
The forecast came as Waller issued a report on the first quarter of the 2004-2005 fiscal year, which ran from October 2004 through December 2004.
Business in Ketchum and Sun Valley was "solid" during the three-month period, Waller said. Local option tax revenues, the primary economic indicator for the two-city region, were up 6 percent in Sun Valley and 7 percent in Ketchum when compared to the first quarter of the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
The percentage of hotel rooms in Sun Valley and Ketchum that were occupied also climbed slightly for the quarter, up to 56 percent from 54 percent last year.
However, area business was generally "slow" in January and the beginning of February, Waller said, possibly because Sun Valley Resort is "battling" a perception that the entire Northwest is suffering from a severe lack of snow.
Although Sun Valley has a more-than-respectable 65-inch snow base at the summit of Bald Mountain, numerous ski resorts across the Northwest have had to close periodically because of poor snow conditions.
"If they're not skiing at home, they're not skiing," Waller said.
Nonetheless, a high number of advance hotel bookings for March are instilling confidence that business will improve before the winter-sports season comes to a close, Waller said.
Waller told the council that she believes the future strength of the Sun Valley-Ketchum tourist economy is largely dependent upon maintaining convenient commercial airline access.
Regional leaders are currently contemplating a short list of locations for a new airport to replace Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, which the Federal Aviation Administration has determined is substandard.
"The whole trend is shorter, more frequent trips," Waller said. "So the key (for tourists) is, 'Where can I get in two hours?'"
