Ski Utah Predicts 3 Percent Growth In Skier Visits

BROCK VERGAKIS

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The number of skier visits in the state will increase by an estimated 3 percent in the 2009-10 season to about 4.1 million, the president of industry group Ski Utah said Tuesday.

That would provide a boost to a struggling state economy increasingly dependent on tourism, and mark a turnaround from last year when the economic downturn hit.

Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah president, said recent signs of economic growth in the national economy should lead to more destination travelers vacationing in the state than last year, when skier visits declined by 6.5 percent from the record-setting previous year.

"Last season was a little different for everybody," Rafferty said. "The economic issues that we faced last year — the timing couldn't have been worse."

The trouble started when most people normally book vacations and got worse as the season went on, he said.

Rafferty's comments come as most of Utah's 13 ski areas prepare to open within the next two weeks.