Summer tourism in Jackson Hole looks strong, even as broader economic uncertainty has cast a shadow over consumer spending.
According to Stacey Mullen, a tourism analyst for the travel data company Inntopia, bookings from May through October are up 10% compared to this time last year, a welcome bit of news in a region almost entirely reliant on discretionary spending.
That came with a big note of caution, though. The last five months have seen consecutive plunging consumer confidence and the last three months have brought turmoil on Wall Street.
“It goes to say that anything that we’re seeing right now within the data is subject to change, at least until consumers can start to see that light at the end of the tunnel,” she told industry leaders during a May 13 industry update hosted by the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board.
Consumers are reporting the same levels of concern about spending, jobs and inflation as they did in the heat of the Great Recession, she said.
But in Jackson Hole, room rates are outpacing inflation. That’s a buffer for properties having a hard time keeping up with the costs.
On average, nightly rates for Jackson Hole hotel rooms this summer are just over $500, roughly $75 more than last year. That price jump hasn’t deterred bookings. Mullen says Jackson Hole is currently outperforming other western mountain destinations, particularly in occupancy.
“Occupancy for Jackson Hole is considerably higher for all summer months, with June currently at 70% occupancy in Jackson Hole versus only 42% occupancy across our other mountain destinations,” she said.
As visitation to Jackson Hole holds strong, the Bridger-Teton National Forest is also preparing for a busy season. The Forest Service estimates it will welcome around 2.5 million visitors this year, about the same as last, according to Bekee Hotze, second-in-command of the 3.4-million-acre forest. With fewer seasonal employees, Hotze says some services will be limited. Asked how many seasonal employees the forest would be without, Hotze directed the question to forest spokespeople, who did not respond before publication.
Hotze said while staff are focusing on maintaining the most popular sites, visitors should expect less maintenance in more remote areas.
“People might have to bring their own supplies and become a little bit more prepared when they visit the National Forest than they have in the past,” Hotze said.
That includes river users.
For the first time, rafters on the Snake River Canyon will need to pay for a permit before launching. That change has been years in the making. Visitors will see pay stations at the boat ramp. It comes at a time when the forest is less prepared to deal with changes writ large. Last year over 16,000 boats, most of them guided, navigated the stretch, Hotze said.
