A sampling of winter air travelers departing Friedman Memorial Airport found that their December-March visits provided the Wood River Valley an $18 million economic boost and such favorable impressions of the area that 35 percent said they'd return next winter, 24 percent probably and 17 percent maybe.
The survey, funded by the Fly Sun Valley Alliance in partnership with Friedman Memorial Airport and Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, sampled 468 departing passengers in February and March. A Boulder, Colo., research firm, RRC Associates, designed the survey.
During the December-March period, 18,574 passengers emplaned at Friedman. The survey sample was considered an accurate statistical profile.
Of the total, 11,700 were visitors, 2,526 were part-time residents and second-home owners while the remaining 4,348 were local residents.
Visitors stayed 4.6 nights, spending an average of $257 per day per capita, while part-time residents remained 7.3 nights and spent $279 per day. according to the survey.
As for lodging, 41 percent of the visitors rented accommodations, 26 percent stayed with friends or relatives, 22 percent stayed in a vacation unit owned by friends or family, 8 percent owned their own lodging and 3 percent found other lodging.
Predictably, 63 percent of the visitors and part-time residents came for downhill skiing, while the other 37 percent visited friends or family or for other leisure activities.
Availability of air service to the Sun Valley area was considered "extremely important" to 67 percent of the visitors/part-time residents.
Median age of visitors was 50, with 74 percent in the household income category of above $100,000 per year.
Travel origins were West Coast (61 percent), the Northeast (11 percent), the South (11 percent), Midwest (8 percent) mountain states (5 percent) and international (4 percent).
Out of a possible 10, visitors and part-time residents on a 9.1 average said they'd recommend the Sun Valley area to friends.
Many travelers into Friedman Memorial Airport last winter said they would recommend the Sun Valley area to friends.
Photo by Mountain Express
