SAM Magazine—Denver, April 22, 2016—DestiMetrics' most recent Monthly Market Briefing tells a very positive story for the Far West and Rocky Mountain regions. As of March 31, actual occupancy combined with on-the-books reservations for April were nudging the 2015-16 season to a likely record, with winter occupancy up 4.3 percent and revenues up 5.2 percent over last year. Boosted by an early Easter, March occupancy was up 5.2 percent and revenues up 7.9 percent compared to March 2015.

For the season, the Far West was the big winner, posting significant gains in every month of the season. Occupancy was up 25.6 percent and revenues up 32.9 percent compared to last year's snow-starved results.

The outlook for May through October is strong as well, with advance reservations pointing to a fourth consecutive strong summer season. As of March 31, reservations for the six-month period are up 12.7 percent and revenues up a dramatic 20.1 percent compared to the same time last year. The “shoulder season” months of May and September are particularly strong, with gains of more than 30 percent over 2015.

“Consumers' confidence in the travel market is considerably more stable after a shaky January and February,” said Tom Foley, director of operations for DestiMetrics. “Wages also edged up slightly to help narrow the long-standing gap between earnings and the cost of living, which in turn contributes to an increase in disposable household income. That bump in earnings encourages workers to feel more comfortable in planning summer travel.”

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