SUMMER OPS
THE CHALLENGES OF SELLING SUMMER
By Scott Hannah, President, Guest Research, Inc.
Guests really enjoy summer in the mountains. So why don’t they return more often?
The Challenges of Growing Summer Tellingly, summer visitors say they experience a lower “Level of Fun.” This is important, because Fun is highly correlated with both the Likelihood to Recommend and Overall Visit Satisfac- tion. While 75 percent of winter visitors rated their Level of Fun as “Excellent,” a smaller portion of summer visitors—71 percent—said their Level of Fun was “Excellent.” While that’s not a major difference, additional compar- isons of summer to winter data are more revealing. Summer visitors’ Likelihood to Return Net Promoter Score (NPS) was 63, sharply lower than the 74 for winter visitors. And actual visitor behavior is even more convincing: returning summer guests represented one-half of all visitors in 2024, 17 percentage points less than during winter.
Summer operations offer ski areas many benefits, includ- ing a reduced reliance on winter revenues, year-round employment for more staff, an introduction to non-winter sports enthusiasts, resilience against climate change, and absorption of overhead. It takes a careful, strategic ap- proach to take full advantage of these benefits, though. Summer operations at winter resorts have grown signifi- cantly over the past decade. According to the National Ski Areas Association’s 2023-24 Economic Analysis of U.S. Ski Areas , 109 ski areas operated in summer 2023, up from 84 in 2014, with average revenue per area rising 71 percent, from $3.8 million to $6.4 million. However, revenue has stagnated over the last three years, and declined 9 percent from the Covid-bump sum- mer of 2022. This article supplements the Economic Analysis data with feedback from Guest Research’s ski clients’ summer 2024 visi- tors, comparing summer and winter visitor metrics to explore summer’s growth potential. It reveals both positive and chal- lenging insights. The Good News About Summer According to the Economic Analysis , 54 percent of summer 2023 revenue came from existing facilities that support winter oper- ations—namely lodging, food & beverage, groups/weddings/ conferences, retail, and rentals—rather than those dedicated to summer business. Additional income came from moun- tain-based activities like scenic chairlift/gondola rides, moun- tain biking, and alpine slides/mountain coasters. And summer visitors have a great time at winter resorts. As shown below, summer visitors reported higher satisfaction (80 percent “Excellent” rating) than winter visitors (73 percent), with a Likelihood to Recommend Net Promoter Score (NPS) nearly as high as winter’s (69 vs. 72).
Winter 2024-25
Summer 2024
Difference Summer vs. Winter
Attribute
Overall Level of Fun – % Excellent Rating
75% 71% -4%
Likelihood to Return NPS
74
63
-11 pts.
% Returning/Repeat Visitors
68% 51% -17%
In sum, summer visitors are highly satisfied and recom- mend the ski area to others, but they are not as satisfied or moti- vated to return, or return more frequently, as winter guests are. Why is this? Why Summer Is Less “Sticky” One answer is that there is simply a lot more competition in summer. Another reason may be that the summer activities, events, and facilities are not sufficiently sticky anchor activities— there isn’t the same depth of passion for most summer offerings as there is for skiing and riding. An activity such as a chairlift/ gondola scenic ride might be very popular, but it may also be a one-and-done endeavor. How can summer offerings be strengthened? One way is to add additional activities. A second way is to replace any activ- ities that have limited appeal with others that have stronger appeal and are more fun. Either way, we at Guest Research
Winter 2024-25
Summer 2024
Difference Summer vs. Winter
Attribute
Overall Visit Satisfaction - % Excellent Rating
73% 80% +7%
Likelihood to Recommend NPS
72
69
-3 pts.
So why isn’t summer revenue growing? Let’s look deeper into the visitor feedback.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator