As usual, one of the key
parts of the 19th International Moscow Ski Salon in the Gostiny Dvor
was the presentation of the US
ski-resorts and their services, organized by Visit USA Russia. The meeting between
the resorts managers and Russian tour operators was dedicated to further strengthening
of the existing relations, as well as finding absolutely new winter destinations,
not presented on the market before now.
“Every year the USA ski-resorts
are more and more in demand. That’s happening because the whole North American destination
is gaining popularity”, – said Margarita Babayan, Head of Visit USA Russia, in an interview to RATA-news.
In 2011 there were 220 thousand Russian tourists in the USA, which is 27%
more than in previous years. In the first five months of 2012 there have already
been about 92 thousand tourists from Russia, which is 9% more, compared to
last year’s numbers. The expected increase in tourist flow amounts to 46% by 2016.
According to the USA Department
of Trade and Commerce, at the moment Russia is in the 28th place
in the list of inbound tourist flow generators (it was number 33 in 2010). In four years, according
to the estimates, Russia
will be able to move up to the 24th position. At the same time, Russia is the second fastest growing source of inbound
tourists for USA.
Vice-council of the USA Embassy in Russia, Vanessa Ecker, reminded that
the simplification of the visa regime is one of the things that motivated the increase
of the tourist flow. Recently the maximum visa duration was expanded to three years
instead of two, and the price of obtaining a visa was reduced.
Guests of the presentation
were shown some colorful and dynamic videos about resorts in Colorado,
Utah and California, which are renowned not only for great
snow, but also for wonderful pistes, good ski-lift systems, convenient hotels and
first-class service. It is Colorado,
where most of the countries ski resorts are located. The snow here is unique; it
offers great gliding to any skier or snowboarder out there due to being dry and
puffy. No wonder locals call it the champagne powder. One of the biggest recreation
areas here is the famous Aspen resort, which has four skiing zones: Snowmass, Aspen Mountain,
Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk. Altogether the
pistes stretch for more than 124
mi, offering simple runs for newbies as well as challenges
for experienced skiers.
Also located here are the
Vail Resorts which are partly located in Colorado
and partly in California.
This is a great place for high level skiers, yet there are also family-friendly
slopes. Tourists have a wide range of accommodation to choose from: hotels, apartments
or even boarding houses. Apart from the convenient ski-lift system, Russian tourists
will surely appreciate the slope names: here one can find runs like Red Square,
Siberia Bowl or Gorki
Park.
New to the 2012/2013 winter
season is the Nordstar ski resort and the Kirkwood
slopes near Lake Tahoe. These are classic American
ski resorts with slopes mostly aimed at advanced and skilled skiers. Russians were
also presented with Utah and the three Park City resorts:
Park City,
Deer Valley and Canyons. There three very different
resorts housed the 2002 Olympics. So tourists have a chance to try and master the
Olympic bobsleigh track under a coach’s supervision in between enjoying great snow
and wonderful ski runs. This is all only 35-minutes away from the Salt Lake City airport.
Yet another discovery for
our operators was the Mammoth Lakes resort in California. It is a paradise for family vacations.
Unlike other resorts, this one offers skiing till early June. The resort is a 5-hour
drive away from Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
Russian tour operators
have already felt the increased popularity of US ski resorts. According to Lidia Sladkova,
Head of the FIT department at Karlson Tourism, requests for ski resorts in America have risen
by almost 100%, compared to last year. Mostly our tourists are interested in New
Year holidays with arrival dates after January 3, when the season sales kick in.
Most people are interested in two-three week tours. “Usually ski tours in USA are popular among experienced skiers who are
tired of Europe. The long flight and the high price
tag are still a restrain, yet part of that can be compensated by local prices being
in USD instead of EUR”, – explains the expert.
Elena Chemyakina, Head
of the individual tours at Roza Vetroz, also notes that American ski resorts are
leaning towards serving well-off clients. The average price on a tour even during
low season is about $2500. But using the early booking system you can save up to
30% on a tour. The same applies to ski-passes; they should be obtained in Russia, prior to
travelling.
According to market players,
Aspen is still the most popular ski resort in USA among Russian
tourists. At the same time 80% of tours are mixed, and include excursions of the
country and beach recreation along with skiing.
