Colorado ski resort officials tracking uncertainty in travel trends, U.S. consumer confidence

Canadians have decided to forego traveling to the United States as a form of protest against President Trump’s tariff policies and his “51st state” rhetoric. This boycott has raised concerns among travel analysts regarding consumer confidence and spending in the U.S., especially due to inflation and other economic pressures.

While Colorado ski resorts that heavily rely on out-of-state visitors are uncertain about the impact of these challenges on their business this winter, resorts that primarily cater to Colorado skiers are starting the 2025-26 ski season with optimism.

“Our season pass sales and forward bookings are all looking positive,” stated Copper Mountain general manager Dustin Lyman during a roundtable discussion with other Summit County ski resort leaders in October. “It appears that it will be a great season.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by the leaders of Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, which attract mainly Front Range day skiers.

“We are quite optimistic,” said Loveland’s chief operating officer, Rob Goodell. “Our early season sales for ticket products and lessons are all up compared to last year. There is a lot of excitement about the upcoming season.”

“The same goes for us,” added Alan Henceroth, the counterpart at A-Basin. “I believe it will be an excellent year.”

Tim Wolfe, the director of the Colorado Tourism Office, mentioned that overall winter bookings in Colorado are either flat compared to last year or slightly increasing. The introduction of daily United Airlines flights from Mexico City to Denver, which started in October and will continue through March, is expected to boost tourism. Data from Inntopia, a travel industry source, showed a 35% increase in bookings from Mexico to the U.S. for the ski season compared to the previous year as of October 31.

“Mexico is a significant international travel market for the state of Colorado,” Wolfe emphasized.

While bookings from Western Europe increased by 9.6%, the Canadian boycott led to a 53% drop in bookings from north of the 48th parallel. Canadian travel journalist Claudia Laroye noted that the boycott was a spontaneous grassroots movement driven by feelings of upset, anxiety, fear, and anger over the economic impact of the tariffs.

Trump’s remarks about Canada potentially becoming the 51st state were seen as a personal affront to Canadian pride and sovereignty.

“It’s quite unsettling,” Laroye remarked.

Tom Foley, the senior vice president of business intelligence at Inntopia, believes that the boycott will persist as it has become deeply ingrained in society. He added that Canadian ski resorts are benefiting from the situation by attracting business that would have otherwise gone to the U.S.

Within the U.S. economy, consumer confidence has been on a downward trend over the past year. Wall Street analyst Patrick Scholes, specializing in the ski and hospitality industry at Truist Securities, predicts that Colorado’s pricier resorts, which appeal to wealthier travelers, will still perform well even as lodging prices surge during the Christmas holidays.

“The overall travel trends in the United States have been sluggish,” Scholes observed. “However, the upper-end income brackets show strength in travel. These customers are feeling positive about their investments and job security, which bodes well for luxury vacations at resorts during Christmas and New Year’s.”