Colorado ski resort towns brought in record sales tax revenue during the 2014–15 season despite a mild winter in the West and a nationwide decline in skier visits, on Tuesday.
Spending topped the previous high of the 2007–08 season. Each of the seven towns surveyed—Vail, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Winter Park, Crested Butte, and Telluride—posted record sales tax revenue every month from December to March.
Tourism marketers have been able to draw skiers from states like California, where the weak winter and ongoing drought forced several ski areas to close as early as January. Lodging also contributed to the increased revenue. “Winter this year was an all-time record from a [lodging] revenue point of view and a rate point of view,” Tom Foley, operations director for occupancy and revenue tracking company DestiMetrics told the Denver Post.