Australian and Mexican visitors return in force – Whistler saw a consistent return of holiday visitors over the 2025 festive period, with hotel occupancy, fine-dining reservations and activity bookings all performing well despite a sluggish start to the ski season. Still, local restaurateurs noted softer-than-expected December numbers and a growing list of economic pressures shaping visitor habits.
“We probably averaged about 90-per-cent occupancy over the holidays, which is consistent with historical performance,” Tourism Whistler president and CEO Barrett Fisher told Pique. While early December bookings were weaker—likely due to late snowfall—“Mother Nature really delivered” just before Christmas, Fisher added. “We got a lot of very positive feedback from our guests about the visitor experience.”
Tourism Whistler reported a 1.1 percentage point bump in occupancy for the whole month of December compared to 2024, finishing the month at 71.5 per cent. Read more at the Pique