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Tourism Whistler, partners respond to flat visitor numbers

Competition, economy force resort to market Whistler more aggressively That Whistler could be doing a lot more to target different markets was the central message to come out of a special meeting called by Tourism Whistler on Jan. 14.
barrett_fisher
Barrett Fisher, President of Tourism Whistler

Competition, economy force resort to market Whistler more aggressively

That Whistler could be doing a lot more to target different markets was the central message to come out of a special meeting called by Tourism Whistler on Jan. 14.

The meeting was well attended, with representatives from the accommodation sector, retail sector, Whistler-Blackcomb, Chamber of Commerce and the Resort Municipality sharing ideas about how the resort can be more competitive in today's marketplace.

"Overall we're down one or two points to last year to date - anything up to two per cent up or down we consider flat," said Tourism Whistler President Barrett Fisher.

The results are generally mixed with some market sectors showing growth while other markets have declined. The most significant drop is from the long haul U.S. market, which Fisher says is down between 15 and 20 per cent.

The regional market is up, as is the Canadian market. International travel is mixed, with markets like the UK and Australia holding their own this year. There was a slight increase in German visitors as their economy has improved, and emerging markets in Hong Kong and Taiwan are compensating for the still soft Japanese travel market.

Although the statistics for this year are not that bad when you consider factors like the increase in the Canadian dollar, the soft U.S. economy, and orange (high) terror alerts during the Christmas holidays, Fisher says there is still some cause for concern.

"We called the meeting because we believe that in order to continue to see positive growth for Whistler, and to continue to ensure that we preserve our market share, we do have to meet a variety of challenges in the marketplace," she said.

"Some (challenges) are internal, within the resort, that we can effect and influence, and some are external, outside of our control. Things within our control are solutions like competitive offers that we can put into the marketplace, and how we can aggressively promote out product."

There is a combination of factors that are affecting the tourism market, says Fisher.

The most obvious have to do with a softer economy south of the border, the shrinking gap between the U.S. and Canadian dollars, and the post-9/11 impacts on travel and tourism.

"There are certain things we can influence, and certain things we cannot. We cannot influence that some of our U.S. guests have decided to stay home this year and seek better value in their regional areas. (We cannot influence) that there is orange border alerts discouraging them from Canadian travel," Fisher said.

"We can influence what's in our own backyard, our regional markets. and that we continue to work where we can see the greatest returns. That comes back to making sure that we have a balanced portfolio of markets.

"The reality is you will always see ebbs and flows from different segments and geographic markets, depending on the economy, on the currency, and the political issues that are going on."

The Internet is also having an impact, with more people making last minute travel decisions. Most of these travellers are budget-minded, and will go where they can get the best deal, Fisher says. In the past visitors would book their winter holidays as early as the summer, but that is happening less often.

Participants at the Tourism Whistler meeting looked at short-term strategies for the rest of this ski season, as well as mid-term strategies for next year.

"The idea is that Tourism Whistler is proceeding with marketing programs to continue to drive business this winter. and work collectively with all our resort partners to look for creative packaging and promotion solutions," says Fisher. "Which would mean value-added vacations, it would mean looking at special promotions - you buy a certain number of nights and you get an additional number free.

"It would mean looking at different creative ways of approaching the marketplace, what might trigger a purchase, and what we can compete against - not only other ski resorts, but sun vacations that compete aggressively in the marketplace."

Although the goal of the meeting was not to come up with specific solutions, the participants looked at different markets and brainstormed ways to promote Whistler to those specific audiences. Tourism Whistler is putting together their responses, and will make their recommendations to members and tourism industry segments in the next few weeks.

At the same time, Tourism Whistler will focus its energies on markets that they feel have the greatest propensity to travel.

"We'll continue to support markets that have challenges, but won't focus there as much until there is a revival in that market," said Fisher.

Stuart Rempel, the vice president of marketing and sales for Whistler-Blackcomb, says it was a positive meeting that confirmed the need for resort partners to work together to come up with a collective solution.

"We need to look at ways that we can focus on those markets and convince people that there's a great reason to come to the best-ranked ski resort in North America," he said.

"We need to work together in concert with all the partners in the resort, Tourism Whistler, and Tourism BC. to create a good value story here that would overcome issues, like air travel issues and the decline of the U.S. dollar.

"(The meeting) was very well attended, it was very positive, and everyone in the room recognized that we have some issues that we need to work on."