Park City winter tourism faces slow start despite strong February and March advanced bookings

Park City Chamber President Jennifer Wesselhof presents the winter outlook at the Tourism Fall Forum at Stein Erickson Lodge on Nov. 1, 2024. Photo: TownLift // Randi Sidman-Moore

24/25 winter bookings are lagging, with December down seven percent and January down nine percent compared with historic norm

PARK CITY, Utah — As snow begins to fall along the Wasatch Back, Park City tourism leaders are reporting that winter might be a slower start to winter than normal. Winter bookings are lagging, with December down seven percent and January down nine percent, compared with a historic norm. Despite the anticipated slow start, Park City’s Chamber of Commerce President, Jennifer Wesselhof, said February and March bookings are outperforming by 20 percent and 14 percent ahead of average, and overall, the winter tourism outlook is outpacing last year by about three percent.

The numbers were shared at the chamber’s annual fall forum on Friday, Nov. 1, at Stein Erickson Lodge in Deer Valley. The meeting highlighted the significant economic impact of tourism in 2023, contributing $2.2 billion to the local economy, with $1.6 billion from visitor spending. Tourism generated $250 million in state and local taxes, supported 14,800 jobs, and resulted in $818 million in wages. Summer occupancy averaged 35%, with July and August seeing increases in visitor spending and hotel rates.

“We all know that tourism is our economic generator that keeps our quality of life so high and our community thriving, and I think that’s just one reason why we all care so much about what we do to not only attract the right visitor but also manage that visitor when they’re in our area,” Wesselhof said.

Summit County tax collections also saw increases in every tourism-related category for the last nine months through September. Sales tax collections were up three percent, transient room taxes and restaurant tax collections were both up five percent, and recreation arts and parks taxes were up four percent.

Wesselhof also touted the chamber’s new “Mountainkind” brand, which targets environmentally conscious, luxury travelers. The chamber’s bold new branding was announced in May 2024.

Another economic indicator is the average nightly room rate, which Wesselhof said is holding strong at $950 per night for winter months. The average nightly room rate for November through March this year is up four percent over last year. By contrast, the average nightly rate for a room in Park City in the summer is $350, representing a six percent increase over 2023/24.

“We all know that winter is where most of us make ends meet for the entire year. We’re hearing that other resort destinations are also off to a slow start. Across the board, we’re speculating that the election is impacting consumer confidence and that potential visitors are just waiting for the snow to fall,” Wesselhof said.