Keeping the Gates Open:
let it snow
The Winter of COVID-19 Photo: Bushphoto
By Tom McAuliffe
F
ollowing the success of High Country recreational and hospitality industries during the uncertain summer of 2020, the North Carolina Ski Areas Association (NCSAA), in conjunction with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), has made it clear their adopted safety protocols and procedures are soundly in place for the upcoming ski season. There’s a lot on the line for the state’s six ski resorts, Sky Valley, Cataloochee, Wolf Ridge, Appalachian Ski Mountain, Sugar and Beech Mountain, who together deliver a $228 million economic boost to the region—in terms of dollars and taxes—not to mention the physical and mental well-being of many people. “Shutting down the ski industry would be devastating to the local economy,” said Appalachian Ski Mountain President Brad Moretz. “We’ve left no stone unturned to make skiing and snowboarding safer for our customers and employees.” Nowhere has the successful and safe conduction of summertime activities in the High Country been more evident than in the unparalleled growth in lodging taxes. Visitors from southeastern states’ urban centers have flocked to the sanctuary of the Appalachian Mountains in record numbers since last spring. The state’s ski areas of course are keen on a similar success, and have gone to great lengths to prove they are good wardens of public health. The NCSAA’s “Ski Well—Be Well” guidelines for its member resorts were put together by
association president and Sugar Mountain Marketing Director Kim Jochl. “I thought it was the perfect document,” she said of the of the national association’s recommendations. “Input came in from one end of the country to the other to promote the safe pursuit of winter sports. We all want to go skiing.” Occupancy taxes, better known in metropolitan areas as the province of visitor and convention bureaus, are included in short-term rental home and hotel fees. Tourism Development Authorities on Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Blowing Rock and Watauga County collect the taxes and spend them promoting and improving the offerings of their respective jurisdictions. The numbers portend a similar, if not greater, economic windfall for their respective constituencies this winter. In Watauga County, occupation tax figures from June through September exceeded record collections by an average of 65 percent. At the destination resort towns of Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain, the increases in lodging revenue was even higher—much higher in fact. Sugar Mountain Tourism Development Authority Chairperson Jim Fitzpatrick reported that half the town’s annual TDA budget was met in the two months of July and August. The twomonth occupancy tax average was 136 percent over the village’s record highs for collections. The autumn months, normally ‘slow down’ months in the mountain economy, set new records as well.
“These taxes don’t burden our property owners,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s an elective expense for visitors and helps us keep property taxes in line and funds many improvements to the Village of Sugar Mountain.” Kate Gavenus, in her seventh year as Beech Mountain’s Director of Tourism and Economic Development, reacted to Sugar Mountain’s numbers. “The same thing is happening here,” she said, reporting a 143 percent increase over the previous record high last July and August. “The numbers are crazy but we’re offering outdoor recreation and maybe you’re safer in the fresh air than if you were inside some building with lots of other people.” It’s that success that puts all eyes on the state’s ski industry. Golf, tennis, cycling, hiking and whitewater rafting enjoyed record seasons in the year of COVID. And the industry’s wholehearted adoption of necessary safety protocols is testament to the serious nature of the virus. Gavenus and others in the travel, recreation, and hospitality industries of the High Country believe the winter season can mirror the success shown last summer and fall. “People have more flexibility,” she said. “Coming to the mountains is not just a Saturday or Sunday event today. Wherever I go I see more people on the trails and outdoors. It’s healthy for the body and healthy for the soul.” As the saying goes, “If you’re lucky enough to be in the mountains, you’re lucky enough.” continued...
CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Winter 2020/21 —
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