There were plenty of U.S. plates in the parking lots this past American Thanksgiving weekend, and that was good news for Whistler.
And there is no doubt that the publicity garnered around North America by Whistler-Blackcomb opening one day early also helped.
But there is no escaping, either, the effect the recession is having and will have on tourism, or the lack of snow in the valley.
Occupancy was down at the Pan Pacific Properties over U.S. Thanksgiving compared to last year said general manager Jim Douglas. But he said: “It is far too early to speculate some of the causes of the weekend being down a bit.
“We haven’t seen on the west coast of North America those big storms that blow in with lots of snowfall which gets people excited about going to ski resorts. We haven’t seen that weather yet.”
According to recent Tourism Whistler reports, bookings leading into the Thanksgiving were down 9 per cent over last year. But early snow in 2007 was a big draw for that Thanksgiving weekend.
Overall TW is predicting business to decline between nine and twelve per cent over last season. But it did see a flurry of bookings in mid-November as the Book Early and Save promotions came to a close.
Douglas believes that the Peak 2 Peak Gondola and the variety of offerings and value of the resort will cushion Whistler somewhat from the economic woes plaguing the world.
“The ski enthusiast is still going to want to go skiing… and they are going to go and ski at the resort that offers the best value, and I think that Whistler is well positioned there,” he said.
Whistler also appeals to a wide demographic, with activities for the once-in-a-lifetime ski trip and the family visit.
The Pan Pacific is being aggressive, said Douglas, in its marketing to help offset the declining bookings. Its sales team spent a month in the U.K. in October to help secure destination bookings in the seven to 14 day range — an important segment to the Pan Pacific.
It is also allowing U.S. visitors to book and pay on line and lock in the exchange rate, which is about 20 per cent below what it was last year. And vacationers can get discounted rates the longer they stay.
“So now you have a 20 per cent improvement on the exchange plus an additional 20 per cent off, which I think is a very responsible program,” said Douglas.
“Are we going to be challenged? Certainly, but I think Whistler can compete with the whole world with the product it delivers.”
The Fairmont Chateau Whistler was at about 80 per cent occupancy this past weekend thanks to group bookings. But the five-star property is not resting on its laurels either, said spokeswoman Lynn Gervais.
“We are trying to look at things a little differently and work a little harder, work a little smarter, and see what we can do to secure that business long term,” she said.
Fairmont has just announced that it will extend a savings deal which sees a 20 per cent discount, a locked in U.S. rate, and third night free until Dec. 8 th .
There is also a new Ski Free package.
“We are putting a lot of value initiatives out there to all guests,” said Gervais.
“I think there is concern in general. There is no denying that the economy has taken a shift, especially with the announcement yesterday that the U.S. is officially in recession.
“We are moving forward business as usual but just tightening up… Our sales managers are out selling and we are just trying to keep those phones ringing.
“If the snow comes the skiers will want to come, we just have to create value to make them come.
“If they are going to come anywhere this winter it is going to be Whistler. There is so much on offer with the Peak 2 Peak, the Olympics just around the corner, and all the World Cup events this season. I have no doubt that this will be the destination of choice.”
How busy people were last weekend also depended on what business they were in.
"Generally, and it is generally, activity is down, but it
depends on the industry and the niche in that industry," said Whistler
Chamber of Commerce President Fiona Famulak.
"What I am hearing is that low cost providers of
essentials like food are doing really well, but low cost providers of
non-essential items are down over last year, I think because people are focusing
on the essentials but not the nice-to-haves.
"With the providers of accommodation, some are down,
though some have had better results than expected. So it really depends on the
industry and the niche within the industry."
Famulak isn't advising business to change direction to weather
the economic challenges.
"I think it’s about staying the course," she said.
"We have a fantastic product with the Peak 2 Peak and the
Cultural Centre and our (2010 Olympic) test events coming up so focus on our
product, provide great value, and continue to provide excellent customer
service. And I think the package of those three things will really help us come
through this tough economic time."
Many in the food and beverage industry were also bracing for a challenging weekend but Friday and Saturday were certainly busy, said newly-minted Councillor Chris Quinlan, who is also president of the Whistler Restaurant Association.
“I was expecting it to be a little worse, but Friday and
Saturday were pretty solid,” he said.
