Image Credit: Sun Peaks Resort
April 06, 2016 - 2:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - With a number of warm days and lots of fresh snow, Sun Peaks had a banner season this winter in more than one way.
While Sun Peaks Resort says they’ve had the biggest year yet for skier visits, Tourism Sun Peaks is reporting hotels in the resort village had their biggest year as well. Tourism Sun Peaks president Christopher Nicolson says hotel bookings were up significantly across the resort.
“Over last winter ski season we were up 13.4 per cent by the end of March,” he says. “And 3.6 per cent over the 2007-08 season.”
The 2007-08 season had been the biggest year for Sun Peaks until this season, he says, and because of the high room occupancy he expects that to translate to a bigger year for all aspects of the village.
“The fact we were able to crack that number by a sizeable margin is a big achievement,” he says.
Nicolson attributes the big year in part to good weather and a weak Canadian dollar.
“It’s encouraged US guests to come north into Canada and kept Canadians in Canada, “ he says. “People in Ontario and Quebec didn’t go to Utah or Colorado, but came to B.C. and in B.C. it encouraged people to decide on a ski vacation instead of Mexico or Hawaii.”
The Sun Peaks ski hill is open for one more weekend, with lifts ending winter operations April 10, Nicolson says. Lifts started operation Nov. 20 for the winter season. There was concern this year as to whether El Nino weather would hinder the ski season, but many hills are reporting lots of snow into April.
- With files from the Canadian Press
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