By Corey Wiktor
Executive Director
Catt. Co. IDA
Holiday Valley and HoliMont are two of Cattaraugus County’s most important private-sector tourism anchors. Together, they help position Ellicottville and the broader County and Region as a year-round destination for world class skiing, hospitality, lodging, dining, retail, real estate, outdoor adventure, and private investment.
The latest available tourism-impact figures show that visitors spent $431.3 million in Cattaraugus County in 2024, representing 52% of all visitor spending in the Chautauqua-Allegheny tourism region. That visitor economy supported 5,003 tourism-related jobs in Cattaraugus County and generated $169.4 million in personal income.
Tourism also generated approximately $52 million in state and local taxes in Cattaraugus County, including $26.7 million in local taxes and $25.3 million in state taxes. Without this tourism-generated revenue, the average Cattaraugus County household would need to pay an estimated $1,633 more per year to maintain the same level of government revenue.
Both Holiday Valley and HoliMont provide clear examples of how resort activity translates into local economic impact. Recent public reporting stated that Holiday Valley attracts roughly 500,000 visitors annually, and a recent 2026 report stated that Holiday Valley has approximately 800 full- and part-time employees and pays roughly $700,000 annually in property taxes.
Holiday Valley
Holiday Valley has continued to reinvest in its facilities and guest experience. In May 2026, the resort announced nearly $5 million in capital improvements for snowmaking modernization, RFID gate technology, lodging upgrades at The Inn at Holiday Valley, improvements at Sky High Adventure Park, enhancements to the Holiday Valley Training Center, and new turf-maintenance equipment for the Double Black Diamond Golf Course.
The CCIDA has also assisted with significant project reinvestment by Holiday Valley, with nearly $90 million alone, over the past ten years. Past reinvestment projects have included snowmaking equipment, pipeline upgrades, Inn improvements, software, golf course upgrades, lawnmowers, and Sky High Adventure Park to name a few.
Ellicottville’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) application also cited the $89.9 million in Holiday Valley expenditures over a ten-year period, including the Tamarack Club, Holiday Valley Lodge, snowmaking automation, chairlifts, slope development, Sky High Adventure Park, Sky Flyer Mountain Coaster, grooming equipment, golf improvements, and other resort enhancements.
Holiday Valley’s reputation has also been recognized beyond Western New York. In SKI Maga-zine’s 2026 Readers Resort Rankings, Holiday Valley was ranked No. 4 in the East, rising from No. 11 the prior year, and earned No. 1 rankings in lodging, dining, and nightlife. The resort also earned Top 5 rankings in snow quality, lifts, guest service, parking, and family-friendliness.
HoliMont
HoliMont also adds substantial and transformative value to the Ellicottville economy and has its own long record of reinvestment and employment. HoliMont describes itself as the largest private ski resort in the United States, with 8 chairlifts, 56 trails, 180 inches of annual snowfall, and extensive snowmaking capacity. The resort is also open to the public on weekdays, extending its impact beyond its membership base and bringing additional visitors into Ellicottville during the week.
HoliMont has participated in the IDA’s tourism-related incentive programs over many years, with CCIDA-supported projects totaling more than $12 million over approximately the past 13 years. These investments have helped support snowmaking, equipment purchases, infrastructure improvements, facility repairs, bike park expansion, and other upgrades that strengthen HoliMont’s role as a year-round economic driver. More recently, HoliMont submitted an IDA application seeking sales-tax abatement for resort improvements, with a total project investment listed at $1,025,500.
The project included replacement piping, facility repairs, a snowcat purchase, electrical system upgrades, outdated computer equipment replacement, additional bike carriers, bike trail additions, and rental ski replacement. HoliMont’s latest investment, which was heavily focused on snowmaking, with reinvestment into critical snowmaking infrastructure
HoliMont has 262 full- and part-time employees. The resort has also seen significant growth in mountain biking (pictured on cover), with chairlifts fitted with special bike carriers and a growing trail system. There are currently 26 bike trails totaling 16 miles at the top of the mountain. Its bike park now provides lift-served summer recreation, rentals, repair services, events, and outdoor programming outside of the traditional ski season.
Together, Holiday Valley and HoliMont create a tourism economy that reaches far beyond lift tickets. Visitors support lodging, restaurants, retail shops, fuel stations, equipment purchases, rentals, maintenance, contractors, construction trades, professional services, and real estate activity. Resort investment also helps create business for local employment, contractors, vendors, and suppliers whenever possible.
That is where the IDA’s sales-tax abatement program becomes an important economic development tool. The benefit is not simply the initial tax savings to a business. The greater value comes when those savings are reinvested into projects that improve the visitor experience, extend the tourism season, support jobs, attract additional spending, and generate ongoing sales tax, occupancy tax, property tax, and payroll activity for the county and its municipalities.
Occupancy and bed-tax revenue are another important part of the tourism picture. Cattaraugus County expected to receive approximately $1.65 million in bed-tax revenue in 2025, with receipts coming mostly from hotels and lodging in Ellicottville, Olean, and Allegany. A portion of the bed-tax revenue supports chambers of commerce in Olean, Ellicottville, and Salamanca, while additional funds are administered for county economic development and tourism promotion programs.
The local impact also fits within New York State’s broader tourism economy. In 2024, New York welcomed 315.4 million visitors, generating $94 billion in direct visitor spending, $145.2 billion in total economic impact, 741,852 jobs, $46.4 billion in personal income, and $11.4 billion in state and local tax revenue.
For Ellicottville, Cattaraugus County, and New York State, Holiday Valley and HoliMont should be viewed as more than recreational amenities. They are economic engines that convert the region’s natural assets into visitor spending, jobs, payroll, private investment, tax revenue, community identity, and year-round economic activity.
The role of the CCIDA to support tourism investment projects proves to be a critical one and should be one that can be understood as an effective tool to allow these two “branded” economic development engines/resorts to flourish in a very changing and challenging marketplace. By sup-porting eligible resort reinvestment projects through tools such as sales-tax abatement, the IDA helps encourage private-sector investment that strengthens the local tourism economy, supports employment, expands the county tax base, and again keeps Ellicottville competitive as a premier four-season destination.
These incentives are not simply benefits to individual businesses; they are strategic economic development tools that help generate broader returns for local businesses, taxing jurisdictions, residents, and the regional economy.
Author’s Note: Corey Wiktor serves as Executive Director of the County of Cattaraugus Industrial Development Agency, where he works with public and private partners to advance business investment, job creation, tourism development, and long-term economic growth throughout Cattaraugus County.