Skiing Facilities NAICS 713920

Jun 26, 2025 - US Ski Areas Surpass 61 Million Skier Visits in 2024-25

• The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced visitation of nearly 61.5 million skier visits for the 2024-25 season, a 1.7% increase over the previous season and the second-highest visitation on record. The numbers are preliminary, as several ski areas have extended their seasons. Per the NSAA announcement, “Several years ago, we set an ambitious goal of reaching a three-year rolling average of 60 million skier visits. We’ve now surpassed that benchmark for four consecutive seasons. While weather will always be unpredictable, this year was less volatile overall, and nearly every region saw solid snowfall.” The 2024-25 visitation figure was about 6% lower than the record-setting season of 2022-23. One of the NSAA’s six regions posted record skier visits during the season: the Pacific Northwest region (4.7 million). In addition, the number of operating ski areas grew to 492 from the previous season’s 484.
• Bookings at Western mountain destinations by international visitors slipped in May 2025, compared to a year ago, according to the latest Market Briefing by Inntopia’s DestiMetrics, as reported in Ski Area Management. The booking pace has declined for six consecutive months, attributed in part to financial and political turbulence. Bookings from Canada and Western Europe were down 55.5% and 35.5%, respectively, for the entire summer period. Occupancy for the entire upcoming summer is slower, with aggregated occupancy down 1.2% by May. The average daily rate (ADR) for May increased 3.7% compared to a year ago. The DestiMetrics lodging data covers 28,000 lodging units in 17 Western mountain communities across seven states.

• According to a report in CFO Dive, consumer sentiment, an indicator of discretionary spending, rose in June in large part due to a lull in the tariff war. The final index of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan grew 15.9% in June 2025 from the previous month, as the Trump administration put some tariffs on hold against major US trade partners. Year over year, the index of consumer sentiment was down 11.3%. An index measuring consumers’ expectations for the future was up 21.9% from the previous month, but was down 16.1% year over year. According to survey director Joanne Hsu, “Consumers appear to have settled somewhat from the shock of the extremely high tariffs announced in April and the policy volatility seen in the weeks that followed.” Hsu noted that consumers’ views of business conditions, personal finances, buying conditions for big ticket items, labor markets and stock markets all remain below six months ago.
• The US skiing facilities industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% between 2025 and 2029, according to a forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The expected growth rate is slower than the overall economy's projected growth. Spending by US households and tourists, foreign students, and other visitors largely drives the arts, entertainment, and recreation industries. Consumer confidence is expected to improve in the forecast period, which bodes well for the sector. A factor that may curb consumer spending is substantially higher tariffs on consumer goods, which may be painful for households. On a positive note, lower inflation supports a moderate increase of real disposable income by about 2% in 2025 and 1.9% in 2026. Real income could suffer if average prices rise due to tariff implementation.