As recently as a decade ago, the sidewalks all but rolled up when the last chairlift stopped spinning. No more.“A lot of businesses would either shut down entirely or reduce workforce until November, and that isn’t happening anymore,” said Dan Howard, vice president of communications at the Park City Chamber of Commerce, offering insight into 2023 data detailing Utah’s outdoor recreation economy recently released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. Tourism and skier numbers ebbed and flowed with the snowfall back then, Howard said. In the decade since, Park City has grown into a steady, year-round activity hub, making every season peak season. With this development in tourism and economic trends in Park City over the past decade, the ski industry has become somewhat inseparable from year-round spending values. “There’s a multiplier effect where those people are also spending on non-ski services once they’re off the hill,” said Howard. “We estimate a $2 billion impact in Summit County overall.” With the increase in overall spending and year-round tourism, there rose a greater need for a consistently large workforce in Park City. “We’re looking at about 15,000 to 16,000 people that are involved in the workforce locally,” said Howard. “If the outdoor recreation industry weren’t here, it would be hard to re-create the demand for those kinds of positions.”Many workers are on J1 Visas, a form of documentation that allows residents of other countries to come to the United States for work and study programs. In addition to the foreign seasonal workers, Salt Lake City provides a large backing for staff due to Summit County’s proximity to the city.“We almost always have attracted a lot of people from Salt Lake City because wages tend to be a lot higher in Summit County, and it makes the commute worth their while,” said Howard. “Our problems are not as compounded as many other ski towns, like Aspen, Colorado, because of the accessibility of Salt Lake.” Challenges including affordable housing, commutable distance and travel accessibility are common factors for remote ski areas, said Howard, though proximity to Salt Lake City minimizes these in Summit County.Outdoor recreaton accounts for 3.4% of Utah’s GDP and supports nearly 72,000 jobs, many of which are tied to ski tourism. A recent study from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that outdoor recreation across Utah yielded $9.5 billion in 2023, increasing output by almost 18% from 2022. Snow activities and the ski industry contributed the highest value of any other activity with $643 million in spending. Utah’s ski industry contributed $1.94 billion in tourism spending in 2023, according to a recent fact sheet from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Outside of this increase experienced in the last two years, Utah skiers and snowboarders’ spending has increased from an average of $183 in the 2009-10 season to $694 in 2023-24. Likewise, out of state skier and snowboarder spending jumped from $990 to $1,944 in the past 14 years, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.The 2022-23 season broke records in snowfall as well as visitation, and still the influx of visiting skiers and their spending is increasing in Utah.Utah’s ski industry is poised for continued growth and with the upcoming 2034 Games, Utah remains a top destination for winter sports enthusiasts, said Howard.The post Park City’s tourism no longer depends so much on the whims of snow appeared first on Park Record.