The resort doesn't release actual numbers for competitive reasons.
Reservations, meanwhile, were up 3% last month, compared with December 2000. In November, reservations were up 20% from the same period in 2000. And reservations booked through Winter Park Central Reservations are up 4% for the remainder of the season. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, reservations were down 25%.
One big factor in the increase is snow--lots of it.
Winter Park is enjoying more than nine feet of snow-113 inches-since it opened Nov. 14. Also, hotel owners are aggressively marketing packages. For example, if a skier booked a three-night package by Dec. 15, they received a fourth night of lodging and a fourth day of lift tickets free.
"At the beginning of the season we were concerned that worries about air travel, the recession, and modest early snowfall would make this an unusually challenging year so these results are very gratifying," says Gary DeFrange, president and CEO of Winter Park Resort.
"It has been difficult trying to predict what kind of season it will be because of a very pronounced trend to book reservations much closer to arrival dates," adds Paula Sheridan, vice president of marketing. "In recent years, this late booking trend had been increasing but what we are seeing now is people putting a greater emphasis on the importance of spending recreational time with family and friends. The mountains offer the beauty and serenity that people are seeking and combined with this increased personal commitment, bookings for the remainder of the season have been picking up.
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