Welcome to the February edition of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority’s South Shore Bulletin. This newsletter highlights tourism trends, strategies, initiatives, and programs that increase visitor awareness, support our community and environment, and strengthen our economy.

Sales Update

LTVA’s Juraj Sojka at the American Bus Association: Road to Reno event.

Visit Lake Tahoe attended the American Bus Association Marketplace (ABA) in Reno last month and also participated in Travel Nevada’s post-FAM, conducting site tours of hotels and activities. Visit Lake Tahoe hosted a sightseeing tour for 58 buyers prior to the marketplace, showcasing the destination with assistance from Zephyr Cove Resort/Lake Tahoe Cruises and Vail Resorts/Heavenly Gondola. During ABA, Director of Tourism, Juraj Sojka, conducted over 35 one-on-one appointments with group and bus tour operators, ensuring strong demand for existing tours that include overnight stays in Lake Tahoe and encouraging the development of new tour itineraries for the South Shore.

Operation Sierra Storm 2026 Recap

This year’s Operation Sierra Storm attendees and speakers at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

The 29th annual Operation Sierra Storm, sponsored by LTVA, held January 11-14, resulted in major media exposure for the destination. The conference reinforced messaging among audiences in major national markets that the South Shore of Lake Tahoe is a leading winter destination. The timing was superb, with fresh snowfall highlighting ideal conditions.

Results to date have generated an audience of 1.7 million via 117 clips: broadcast and online, with more anticipated. The conference attracted 28 television meteorologists with five first-time attendees from influential cities, along with leading industry and science experts presenting on issues including AI, wildfire, new weather tools, and technology. Featured national markets included The Weather Channel and NBC, New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Bay Area, Monterey, Sacramento, Cleveland, Charlotte, Nashville, Myrtle Beach, and Reno.

Local Updates

Congratulations to two standout South Shore properties for their recent recognition:

• Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe has been named a winner in the Good Housekeeping 2026 Travel Awards, earning top honors in the Outdoor Exploration category for its signature experience, “Vacation Vibes by the Slopes.”
• Edgewood Tahoe Resort was honored to receive a Michelin Key for its second consecutive year, recognizing the property’s commitment to excellence in hospitality.

South Shore in the Media

The following earned media was published this past month:

• Travel + Leisure highlighted Heavenly Mountain Resort, as well as lodging and dining in this lengthy feature.

• A recent trade visit, Taissa & Anderson, featured the South Shore on their blog and Instagram.

• Journalist Karee Blunt visited the South Shore, and her article was picked up by the Seattle Times.

• Nevada Sports Net promoted the Reno shuttle and ticket deal for home Tahoe Knight Monsters games in this video.

Industry Updates

• American Hotel & Lodging Association Unveils 2026 State of the Industry Report | Travel Pulse
• Last year’s hotel headaches persist, but 2026 shows slow growth expectations | CoStar
• Tripadvisor’s Trendcast 2026
• News publishers expect search traffic to drop 43% by 2029: Report | Search Engine Land
• Travel is nonnegotiable, even if it means major budget cuts | USA Today
• Executives enter 2026 with caution despite major events that should be a ‘home run’ for US hotels | CoStar

Photo of the Month

Sierra-at-Tahoe ski patrol and avalanche dog, images were for Ski California Safety Day, January 24, 2026

The South Shore Bulletin is brought to you by the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority,  powered by the South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement District and the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority.