The fastest skiers on the planet convened on Vail and Beaver Creek this past February when the Colorado ski towns hosted the two-week World Alpine Ski Championships. It's quite a feat for an American city to host the international competition (just ask Aspen), and the event paid off big. Although Vail Resorts reported a downturn in skier visitation during the races, the towns of Vail and Avon have plenty to be happy about. We break down just how much money the event brought in and how long the benefits will last.
Here are 10 fast facts about the World Alpine Championships using figures from the Denver Post's recent article.
1. In Vail, sales tax revenue climbed to $3.6 million in February, which was 3 percent above the previous February.
2. In Avon, accommodations sales tax revenue climbed 16 percent and its sales tax revenue was up 17 percent from February 2014.
3. The championship generated about 29,604 room nights.
4. Each hotel room went for an average nightly rate of $470.
5. Across the Vail Valley, hotels swelled to 95 percent of occupancy.
6. The average visitor stayed at least 6 days.
7. 800 million people from around the world watched the races on NBC.
8. NBC and its affiliates offered 35 hours of domestic live coverage over the two week period.
9. The Vail Valley Foundation says the event generated 70 billion public-relations impressions.
10. Event organizers say that the benefits will really be seen in subsequent years. According to the Denver Post, "In 1990, the year after the valley hosted its first world championships, international visitation climbed 14 percent." A similar phenomenon occurred in 2000, after the 1999 world championships.
· World Alpine championship pays off Vail, Avon in dollars and exposure [Denver Post]
· Aspen Ski Co. Needs to Upgrade the Old 1A Lift To Keep 2017 World Cup Finals [Curbed Ski]
· Billionaire Bill Koch Relists Aspen's Priciest House at $100M [Curbed Ski]
· The World Ski Championship's Official Song Is Just Plain Cheesy [Curbed Ski]
· The Insider's Guide to the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships [Curbed Ski]
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