“Now that summer lodging activity is approaching the finish line with just a few weeks to go, a fifth consecutive summer record is assured,” reported Ralf Garrison, director of DestiMetrics. “We’ll tally the final numbers at the end of October and now turn our attention to winter. With about 42 percent of winter nights and 45 percent of revenue already in, a positive early picture is starting to emerge,” he added.

As of Sept. 30, reservations for the upcoming winter through March 2017 are up 8.9 percent compared to this same time last year, with gains in all five months for which data are currently available. Revenues are up 11 percent for the same period.

Garrison attributed the strong summer results to the successful steps mountain destinations have taken to grow and develop their summer products, turning themselves into true year-round destinations with a broader economic base. “The new paradigm is more about managing and mitigating the peak season business and marketing to the shoulder seasons where comfortable capacity still exists,” he concluded.