LAKE TAHOE IS #1 SKI DESTINATION BOOKED ON ORBITZ FOR 2008/2009
For Immediate Release: October 30, 2008
(NORTH LAKE TAHOE, California/Nevada) – Lake Tahoe is the most popular ski destination in the U.S. for hotel and vacation packages booked by travelers at Orbitz.com for travel between November 1, 2008 and April 30, 2009 (as of October 14).
This is the second consecutive year that Lake Tahoe has received top honors by travelers at Orbitz.com, as it was the number one destination for travel between November 20, 2007 and May 1, 2008.
“Orbitz is one of the largest online travel websites in the world,” said Director of Tourism Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association (NLTRA). “To be ranked as the site’s most popular ski destination in the country for the last two years is tremendous. Our own numbers echo Orbitz’s findings; despite the challenging economy, visitors are still traveling to North Lake Tahoe for the upcoming ski season and many are booking early especially for the busy holiday season.”
North Lake Tahoe has enjoyed a long-term relationship with Orbitz according to NLTRA Leisure Sales Manager Jeremy Jacobson, who regularly educates Orbitz staff about the destination and how it differentiates from the competition. Orbitz offers a host of North Lake Tahoe inventory for the budget conscious to the high-end traveler both on and off the mountain, as well as lakeside. North Lake Tahoe also provides Orbitz with a season-long Interchangeable Lift Ticket, which Orbitz users can purchase, giving them the flexibility to ski or ride any of North Tahoe’s seven ski resorts, representing a combined 12,000 acres, on any given day.
According to the National Ski Area Association, last year marked a record-setting ski season for U.S. resorts with 60.5 million skier visits. This year, many will take to the slopes for the first time at the 9th Annual Learn to Ski and Board Weekend, December 13-14, where for $25 first-time skiers and boarders receive an all-day beginner lift ticket, group lesson and gear rentals, with nine ski resorts participating. Resorts have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations this winter to expand and upgrade the North Lake Tahoe ski product, with significant developments on the horizon including the Ritz Carlton Highlands, a five-star ski-in, ski-out, situated mid-mountain at Northstar-at-Tahoe in Truckee scheduled to open fall 2009.
North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations, recreation and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3296 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village.
