Visitor Trends

Specific visitor number trends and visitor satisfaction information can be accessed via the Whistler 2020 Visitor Experience Strategy, while hotel room night trends and occupancy data can be accessed via the Whistler2020 Economic Strategy.

Recreation & Leisure Visitation

Recreation and leisure are critical elements of the Whistler experience. This section reports on a selection of annual community recreation, learning and arts and culture visitor statistics.

Downhill Skier/Snowboarder Visits

Whistler-Blackcomb continues to record a slight decline in number of visits, dropping below the two million skier/snowboarder visits per year as seen for nine out of the previous twelve years.  Rapid growth at an average annual rate of 5.52% per year from 1986/87 and reaching an all-time high of 2.23 million visits in 2001/02, visitation declined to a low of 1.67 million in 2009/10.

Figure: Whistler-Blackcomb Skier Visits (1995/96 – 2009/10)

Cross Country Skier Visits

Whistler’s cross-country ski amenities include over 30 kilometres of track and groomed trails through Lost Lake Park, Chateau Whistler Golf Course and Nicklaus North Golf Course, maintained by the municipality. The number of skier visits for these trails reached a high in 2006/07 with approximately 35,000 cross-country skiers over 108 operating days. Significant snowfalls and increased visitors likely contributed to this record result.The number of visits has grown on average since 1990/91, with some fluctuations attributable to varying snow conditions in Whistler valley. 2010 showed the fewest number of x-country skier visits since 2002, Years reporting no data reflect incomplete data collection.

Table: Cross Country Skier Visits (1995/96-2009/10)

Golf Rounds

Rounds of golf at Whistler and Pemberton’s four signature golf courses totaled 89,073 rounds in 2006. This is 14% or 14,652 rounds less than the high of 104,447 rounds played in 1998. While rounds increased between 2005 and 2006, the general trend is flat or slightly downward. Years reporting no data reflect incomplete data collection.

Figure: Total Golf Rounds (1996-2006)

Whistler Mountain Bike Park Visitation

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park has experienced extraordinary growth since re-opening in 1999 with an expanded lift-serviced trail network. This park was further expanded up Whistler Mountain in 2004 with the addition of the Garbanzo lift-serviced area, and now features more than over 200 linear kilometres of lift-serviced trails and 1,200 metres (4,800 feet) of vertical drop. The Garbanzo expansion tripled the size of the bike park.
For the 2007 season (May through October) the total number of paid bike park visits was 92,169, a 2.8% decrease from 2006.

Figure: Bike Park Visits (1996-2007)

Figure: Non-Skiing.Snowboarding Activitiy Visitor Comparison

Meadow Park Sports Centre Visitation (Estimated)

•  In 2010, the Meadow Park Sports Centre (MPSC) recorded 351,245 visitors, a 3% decrease of the number of visits recorded in 2009, and a 20% decrease from 2005. The drop in visits may be attributed to the dry and warm summer in 2006 which tends to promote outdoor vs. indoor activity. 
  This data is not available prior to 2002; MPSC has historically tracked registered drop-in admissions, pass sales and facility rentals in terms of annual revenue.

Library Visitation

• In 2010, the library counted 220,155 visits, less than in 2009 as the library was closed for five weeks during the Oympics. In 2009, visits at Whistler’s Public Library acheived the highest number of visits seen at 297,488. Visits have grown from approximately 25,000 visits in 1994 to a previous high of 166,000 in 2004. In 2005, library visits decreased by 18% from 2004. The number of up to date borrowers has declined in between years 2003 and 2005 from a high in of 8,019 to 5,247 respecitively. Those decreases could have been attributed to the construction of the new library which blocks the existing library from public view. The new library opened in January 2008. 
  

Figure: Public Library Collection & Borrower Statistics (1996-2010)

Museum Visits

• The Whistler Museum recorded 6,775 visitors in 2005, 24% less than 2004, and 30% less than in 1999 when the museum had 9,769 visitors The recent decline in visits in is attributed to the construction of new Whistler Library which blocks the museum from public view.  The Whistler Museum and Archives Society is currently located in a temporary trailer building and is seeking to establish a permanent facility.