Lake Tahoe is truly a magnificent sight. The incredible natural beauty and crystal clear water will catch any one's breath. Over 50.000 people live here to enjoy this mountain, water-side, recreational resort. 2.2 million additional visitors enjoy Lake Tahoe each year.
The peak season is summer. Between July 4th and Labor Day everything is in full swing. They come to just enjoy the sun, the water, the beaches, and the mountains. Everything from hiking, biking, fishing, boating, tennis, golf, roller-blading, water-skiing, sightseeing and gaming.
The winter is a close second with the largest concentration of ski areas in the West. Tahoe is exceptionally beautiful wrapped in a blanket of snow. The visitors downhill ski, cross county ski, snowboard, or snowshoe, snowmobile, skate, or gamble and see a big show at one of the casinos in Nevada.
The average length of stay is 4 nights or a total of 9 million visitor days. Our visitors spend an average of $240.00 per day on lodging, recreation, and dining. When retail sales, gaming, and real estate are included, overall combined expenditures exceed 1.6 billion.
Our visitors are young, affluent, and still have children at home. The average age is 42. The average household income is $60,000. 20% of the visitors household income exceed $100,000 per year. Over 50% are college educated and 74% have children. The family usually comes to Tahoe together.
We experience an exceptionally high day use in Lake Tahoe. Residents of Sacramento, Reno, and Carson City visit Lake Tahoe as well as visitors staying in these communities. 40% of Incline's tourists are visiting for the day. An average of 20% of the Tahoe Basin are day visitors.
The primary attraction of Lake Tahoe is the scenery. Over 80% of our visitors come to Lake Tahoe to enjoy our pristine environment. 42% come for recreational purposes.
25% of our visitors admit coming specifically to visit the casinos on the Nevada shores, 83% of adults will visit the casinos when they are here. The area is marketing itself as a recreation destination resort. Tourism related businesses are particularly sensitive to the weather and the environment because nature plays such an important part of their lives. Even though visitation is down slightly the area is experiencing growth in convention and wedding business.
In the winter 68% of our visitors ski. The Lake Tahoe area has 15 downhill and 12 cross county ski centers. This means Tahoe has the largest concentration of ski resorts in the United States. The basin has more ski lifts than all of Colorado.
The promotion of tourism is handled primarily by three Convention and Visitors Bureaus:
Two of the bureaus are funded entirely by room taxes paid by the tourist. The North Tahoe Resort Association recently merged the VCB and the Chamber of Commerce so they include membership dues as well in their revenue source.
Together the bureaus spend over 5.5 million each year in the promotion of tourism. Estimating what the private sector contributes, over 15 million is spent per year on promoting tourism, recreation, and the beauty of Lake Tahoe nationally and internationally.
The origin of most visitors is Northern California and secondarily Southern California, although Texas, Illinois, and Florida are strong winter markets. International visitation is rising with 4% of the market arriving from origin points such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and South America.
In 1996 the airport in Reno officially changed their name to the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. The Board of Trustees recognized the Northern Nevada Region must be marketed as Reno/Tahoe to further position ourselves as a comprehensive ideal vacation destination.
Numerous cooperative marketing efforts are underway to enhance our awareness nationally. These programs include the Sierra Ski Marketing Council who spend over 1 million per year targeting the winter visitors, the Nevada Commission on Tourism's new Regional Marketing Committee, the North Tahoe Conference Program, and numerous niche marketing programs including weddings, mountain biking, and cultural events.
* Information derived from the Incline Village - Crystal Bay Visitors and Convention Bureau Visitors Profile and a 1997 Lake Tahoe Economy Dollar Volume Estimates Report by Strategic Marketing Group Research of South Lake Tahoe.
This Web site has been produced by the Tahoe Center for a
Sustainable Future, a 501(C)(3) organization
dedicated to achieving a sustainable future for the entire Lake Tahoe region.
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Last updated: July 3, 1997