Iceaxe
01-13-2009, 05:41 PM
Zion may set record with 2008 guest numbers
Park on track to set new visitation mark
BY PATRICE ST. GERMAIN
The Spectrum.com
January 9, 2009
Despite starting 2008 with high gasoline prices and ending the year with a poor economy, visitation at Zion National Park may be on record pace.
Even without Dec-ember's visitation numbers, the park had more than 2.6 million visitors through the end of November. If more than 51,733 people visited the park in December, Zion will surpass the record visitation of 2,699,241 set in 2004.
Park public information officer Ron Terry said the park is well on track for surpassing the visitation record set in 2004, but the poor weather may impact that number.
"The weather for the last few weeks is not conducive to visitors," Terry said. "Right now, we have no idea where we stand for December visitation."
Snow is not unusual in the park, but it is not common on the canyon floor. During recent snowfalls, six inches of snow fell to the canyon floor, with more piling up in the higher elevations.
Visitation rates were down slightly through July compared to previous years, but the park experienced above-average numbers of visits for August and October. Terry said it's difficult to determine why August and October visitation figures were the highest since 1994.
"It's one of the phenomena that we see here," Terry said. "When the economic picture is not good and gas prices higher, people are not going as far as normal, and a lot of visitation comes from the Las Vegas area and the Wasatch Front."
Typically, park visitation doesn't increase while potential visitors endure a poor economy and higher gasoline prices, but Zion's proximity to large population centers helps the overall visitation.
Foreign visitation are expected to have increased in 2008, although no statistics are available yet. Terry said, anecdotally, park officials know the park is receiving a lot of foreign visitors.
The steady stream of visitors to Zion National Park has helped maintain the tax revenue in Springdale, said Town Manager Rick Wixom. After a poor spring, visitors packed Zion Canyon in the summer Wixom said.
From January through October, the sales tax collected was down $600 over the previous year. But looking at the tax from the fiscal year from July through October, the tax revenue has increased 10 percent.
The tax wealth, however, isn't spread evenly across all the local businesses.
Wixom said the largest increase in tax-based revenue was from the transient room tax, which for the fiscal year starting July 1 is up 11 percent. That is followed by the resort tax, which is up 5.4 percent and sales tax revenue, which is up 3.7 percent.
Dean Cook, general manager of the Best Western Zion Park Inn, said the hotel is holding its own and is looking to the year ahead.
Oscar's Caf
Park on track to set new visitation mark
BY PATRICE ST. GERMAIN
The Spectrum.com
January 9, 2009
Despite starting 2008 with high gasoline prices and ending the year with a poor economy, visitation at Zion National Park may be on record pace.
Even without Dec-ember's visitation numbers, the park had more than 2.6 million visitors through the end of November. If more than 51,733 people visited the park in December, Zion will surpass the record visitation of 2,699,241 set in 2004.
Park public information officer Ron Terry said the park is well on track for surpassing the visitation record set in 2004, but the poor weather may impact that number.
"The weather for the last few weeks is not conducive to visitors," Terry said. "Right now, we have no idea where we stand for December visitation."
Snow is not unusual in the park, but it is not common on the canyon floor. During recent snowfalls, six inches of snow fell to the canyon floor, with more piling up in the higher elevations.
Visitation rates were down slightly through July compared to previous years, but the park experienced above-average numbers of visits for August and October. Terry said it's difficult to determine why August and October visitation figures were the highest since 1994.
"It's one of the phenomena that we see here," Terry said. "When the economic picture is not good and gas prices higher, people are not going as far as normal, and a lot of visitation comes from the Las Vegas area and the Wasatch Front."
Typically, park visitation doesn't increase while potential visitors endure a poor economy and higher gasoline prices, but Zion's proximity to large population centers helps the overall visitation.
Foreign visitation are expected to have increased in 2008, although no statistics are available yet. Terry said, anecdotally, park officials know the park is receiving a lot of foreign visitors.
The steady stream of visitors to Zion National Park has helped maintain the tax revenue in Springdale, said Town Manager Rick Wixom. After a poor spring, visitors packed Zion Canyon in the summer Wixom said.
From January through October, the sales tax collected was down $600 over the previous year. But looking at the tax from the fiscal year from July through October, the tax revenue has increased 10 percent.
The tax wealth, however, isn't spread evenly across all the local businesses.
Wixom said the largest increase in tax-based revenue was from the transient room tax, which for the fiscal year starting July 1 is up 11 percent. That is followed by the resort tax, which is up 5.4 percent and sales tax revenue, which is up 3.7 percent.
Dean Cook, general manager of the Best Western Zion Park Inn, said the hotel is holding its own and is looking to the year ahead.
Oscar's Caf