Airport survey: Visitors make up 80 percent of traffic

Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) conducted an airport survey in March 2012, reaching 127 out of 5,964 passengers arriving into the Gunnison Crested Butte Airport. CMBR shared the results with the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority at its May board meeting.
The results echoed a study conducted by the RTA over the winter of 2004-2005, confirming that the majority of people flying into the airport during winter are visitors (78 percent). Full-time residents made up 10 percent, and part-time residents made up 12 percent. Of the full-time residents, only 42 percent of their travel was for business needs—meaning business travel accounts for approximately 5 percent of total travel through the airport.
The survey also confirmed that maintaining a strong airport in Gunnison is key to tourism in the valley. Only 46 percent were aware that flying through Montrose was an option, and only 12 percent said they would choose Montrose if the airfare was cheaper. Eighty percent of part-time residents and 77 percent of visitors considered only flying through Gunnison.
“One of the biggest values of the survey is that we do get the visitors’ perspective. Visitors aren’t at this meeting and they’re 80 percent of the traffic,” said CBMR’s director of Crested Butte Vacations, Jeff Moffett.
“And it does validate some of the assumptions we work with,” said RTA executive director Scott Truex.
A few key findings:

Traveler type
Full time residents: 10 percent
Part time residents: 12 percent
Visitors: 78 percent

Visitors and part-time residents
75 percent were here for alpine skiing and boarding
Most skied 3 to 5 days
76 percent stayed in Mt. Crested Butte, 14 percent in Crested Butte, 5 percent in Gunnison and 6 percent marked other

Spending
25 percent of part time residents and visitors spent $5,000 or more per party, and 39 percent spent money in Gunnison.