Friday, December 22, 2006

Local businesses optimistic about holidays

Christmas season a top generator of tourist dollars


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Shopper Holly Sherwin peers into a festive storefront in Sun Valley Village late Wednesday afternoon. Representatives from the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau and local businesses are looking forward to another successful holiday season. Photo by David N. Seelig

The weeks surrounding the Christmas and New Year's holiday season are traditionally very busy for Ketchum and Sun Valley businesses.

This year looks to be no different, Ellen Gillespie, the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau's public relations coordinator, said Thursday.

"Christmas is always solid for us," she said. "It's an important time for everyone."

Based on key indicators such as local room reservations, Gillespie said she expects this year's holiday season to be as good or better than last year.

Normally, the week or two surrounding the holidays are a busy time of year with near 100 percent room occupancy no matter what the weather is like, she said.

"Regardless of what is happening with the snow, I think people would still come," Gillespie said.

Good snowfall clearly has a positive effect on the success of businesses in the area.

Last year at this time, a good start to the snow season created a palpable buzz among winter sports enthusiasts who had become accustomed to a string of average winters with below-average snowfall.

"Anytime it snows, our phones start ringing," Gillespie said.

One reason Sun Valley Resort is able to consistently tempt skiers and snowboarders to travel here, even during poorer snow years, is the area's renowned snowmaking capability, Gillespie said.

"I think we're pretty safe here with the snowmaking," she said. "It's nice to not be 100 percent dependent on Mother Nature."

Gillespie's hopeful outlook for the coming week would seem to be born out by the level of activity seen on Ketchum's downtown city streets and sidewalks, which have become noticeably busier in the past week as visitors have arrived to take in the sights.

Just about everywhere one looks in Ketchum, bundled-up passersby can be seen strolling along sidewalks and peering in storefronts.

Gillespie said a surprising number of travelers arrive in the Ketchum and Sun Valley area during the Christmas and New Year's period without any room reservations.

Fortunately, the staff at the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau's visitor center can usually help them find a room on such a short notice.

"Usually our ladies can find them something," Gillespie said.

Gillespie said some had initially wondered if the near complete lack of snow at many of Europe's alpine ski areas would have a positive effect on business at North American ski resorts such as Sun Valley. So far, however, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"We haven't seen any pickup at all," Gillespie said.

According to Mike Deboer at Sun Valley-Ketchum Central Reservations, which handles a large portion of lodging reservations for the Ketchum and Sun Valley areas, most lodging establishments are nearly sold out for the holiday season.

"There's still some availability, but it's pretty scattered," Deboer said.

The general lack of vacancies is standard for this time of year.

"It feels like a pretty typical Christmas," Deboer said.

At Sun Valley Resort, company spokesman Jack Sibbach said some longtime visitors have been coming back to the resort during the Christmas season for as many as 50 years, sometimes longer.

Now, those same visitors are also bringing their children and grandchildren, Sibbach said. For many people, Christmas at Sun Valley has become something of a family tradition, he said.

"It's a very good time for us," Sibbach said.

Apart from the skiing, families like to ice skate, cross-country ski and, especially, take 30-minute sleigh rides to Trail Creek Cabin.

"Everybody likes the sleigh rides," Sibbach said.

Addressing Europe's lack of snowfall, Sibbach said most people in the ski industry would actually like to see everyone doing well. Warm weather and poor snowfall in one area can make people forget about going skiing somewhere else, he said.

"It's sort of out-of-sight, out-of-mind," he said.




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