Breckenridge Gets Economic Boost By Hosting Ski Industry Conference

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (CBS4)- Breckenridge is already one of the most visited ski towns and ski areas in Colorado and now it's getting another economic boost thanks to a ski industry conference.

More than 1,000 people are in Breckenridge for the Mountain Travel Symposium, or MTS as industry insiders call it.

"You want to ski and a lot of business is done on chair lifts, a lot of business is done at hot tubs, a lot of business is done in the bars at night, so being at a ski resort is the culture of the Mountain Travel Symposium," said Mountain Travel Symposium spokesmand Bruce Rosard.

The conference brings together two sides of the tourism industry into one building.

"It's people from the supply side which is hotels, condominiums, lift tickets, resorts and the buy side, which is tour operators, travel agencies, group ski clubs, meeting planners and people like that," said Rosard.

A total of 1,200 people. MTS is bringing in big bucks for Colorado.

"We think there's probably as much as $100 million of business going on during this one week," said Rosard.

The Town of Breckenridge has already seen an 11 percent increase in occupancy this year. That's considered the best ski season ever for Breckenridge and they also made a full recovery since the recession began.

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"Group business is a big reason why our business in 2013 surpassed that of 2007 which was previously our best year ever," said GoBreck.com spokeswoman Rachel Zerowin.

The conference provides not only an immediate boost but also a long-term one.

"It's immediate in town on the streets, in our restaurants and our shops as well as long-term because there's a lot of influential people in Breckenridge right now," said Zerowin.