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HOW CAN YOU MAKE YOUR RESORT MORE APPEALING TO ASIANS?

• Develop lodging options to accommodate multi-gener- • Use signage containing language-neutral pictograms The finesT ropeway equipmenT available
ational families. and videos for newcomers.
• Offer activities in addition to skiing/snowboarding, and • Offer a translation function on the website.
market nearby attractions. • Reach out to Asian ski clubs.
• Be aware of sophisticated culinary expectations. • Be prepared to provide smaller gear and clothing, and
• Emphasize social media engagement. Make it stock high-end brands.
easy and fun. • Make special-value offers known to potential Asian Gondolita
• Hire staff who speak Asian languages. customers. Taos, nm

often bring with them. “It’s not a huge thing but it helps demon-
strate that we welcome them,” Megnin says.
At Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, about an hour from
Boston, Asians represent about 5 percent of overall visits, says
Tom Meyers, Wachusett’s marketing director. Being so close to
greater Boston gives the resort an advantage in building a diverse
customer base—particularly since there is a huge Asian popula-
tion among the education hub. The resort capitalized on this by
resurrecting the ski train from Boston about 10 years go. “Asian
students are huge users of the ski train service,” Meyers notes.
Wachusett shuttles the riders from and to the train so they
are skiing at 10:30 a.m. and back in Boston by 7 p.m. This year WACHUSETT MOUNTAIN SKI AREA
the resort introduced train service Wednesday nights, getting An employee in Wachusett’s rental shop helps a non-English-speaking
people to the hill around 5 p.m.—a perfect time for college stu- guest register for rental equipment.
dents. Wachusett also offers a college-night program that includes
trivia, discounted skiing, and karaoke. As a result, the area is see- then to me, then to their camera. I take their picture, and they
ing more Millennials get involved in the sport, says Meyers. post to their friends. I try to sneak the Wachusett sign in the
Carolyn Stimpson, Wachusett’s VP of resort services, says background.”
the resort is strategic about how it markets to this generation. Being so keyed into what happens in rentals, has
“They get all their information and entertainment from phones. Stimpson observed any notable preferences that Asians have
Not papers or TV . . . phones. So we’ve increased our digi- about skiing/snowboarding gear? “They’re all about high-
tal budget. And our website always features pictures of young end product—they want to be seen being cool. I wish I could
Asians,” she says. get Prada ski gear,” she laughs. Also, because Asians tend to
While Wachusett receives more Chinese and Japanese cli- be smaller than most Caucasians, the resort often uses junior
ents than Indian and Pakistani, it has noted a marked increase equipment for the right fit.
in Asian demographics overall, Meyers says, attributing much of The hope is that the data, perspectives, and examples in this
that growth to the area’s image-heavy signage designed to make article will inspire discussion among your team on how your
non-English speakers more comfortable. In the rental shop espe- resort can find ways to appeal not only to Asians but to other eth-
cially, the signs are image-based, not language-based, and the reg- nic groups as well. These are mostly low-cost, low-bandwidth
istration screens offer metric sizes. Also, running continuously is efforts that can have a wonderful result: making skiing, snow-
a silent video that walks guests through the process (it’s available boarding, and other mountain recreation activities viable for
online too). future generations across all cultural boundaries.
Meyers credits Stimpson for introducing these shrewd prac-
tices based on all the time she spends in the rental shop. “That’s Jules Older is a freelance writer in San Francisco, Calif., and
where the new people are, and I want to help them have more the creator of the ebook, Skiing the Edge. Contact him at
fun skiing,” she says. “My go-to move is to point to them, jules@julesolder.com.

40 | NSAA JOURNAL | CONVENTION 2018