Mountain Business Ideas

Every kind of region has its own particular business opportunities, and areas in mountain regions popular with tourists are no exception. In the following you’ll find some ideas for businesses that take advantage of the unique characteristics of mountain communities.

Hotels

If you are thinking of starting a hotel in a mountain town popular with tourists, try to find a place where most of the hotels are full to capacity during tourist season. This means that there should be room for more supply, which lessens the difficulties of competition and will allow you
to charge fares that will sustain the business throughout the year.

Bed and Breakfast Inns

The strong demand for lodging can also be filled with more modest accommodations. Renting a room as a bed and breakfast can attract many visitors who are looking for a more intimate and homey setting.

Alpine Chalets

This sort of accommodation combines the attraction of mountain scenery with the need for lodging. The strikingness of a large house located high in the mountains can draw people looking to stay the night as well as hikers, visitors and diners during the day.

Hot Drink Stands

It’s cold in the mountains, so hot drinks are in high demand. Coffeeshops and drink stands can be successful in many different places, but in mountain communities they are even more likely to turn a profit. The flexibility of a small stand allows it to be located in even the busiest spots, and supplies can be easily raised during the tourist season and lowered outside of it.

Restaurants

People on vacation don’t like to spend their recreational time cooking, so restaurants have an easier time of it in tourist areas. Try to find a niche cuisine that isn’t present in the community.

Food Trucks

Food trucks combine the advantages of restaurants and hot drink stands: Tourists want to eat, and a food truck allows you to locate closest to the crowds, providing easy access and lower rent costs allow for greater flexibility during the offseason.

Cafés

Tourists who have been walking all over town in the wintertime like to have a warm place to sit, relax, and warm up over a cup of coffee.

Snow Services

In ski resort towns, snow is both a very valuable resource and a constant danger. If there isn’t enough snow, skiers can’t ski, so operating artificial snow cannons to whiten the slopes can be a profitable business. Too much snow on the roads and sidewalks can be an obstacle to the crowds of tourists, so snow removal services are also in demand.

Ski Lifts

Many mountain towns are popular with tourists because of their ski slopes, so running a ski lift to transport skiers and snowboarders up the top of the slopes is a natural choice.

Ski Supply Rental Stores

Many skiers and snowboarders rely on rental shops located near the slopes. During tourist season, shops providing this kind of gear will be in high demand in ski resort towns.

Winter Sports Supply Shops

Other skiers and snowboarders will be looking to purchase their gear, so running a supply shop will allow you to profitably meet this demand.

Outdoor and Novelty Clothing Stores

Winter sports require special clothing. Tourists also like to buy souvenirs from their special vacations. So specialized clothing stores in mountain towns will have a large clientele during tourist season.

Memorabilia Shops

Likewise, as in any touristic area, shops whose primary items are souvenirs tend to do well in mountain resort towns. Such items include just about anything customized to carry the names and symbols that represent the place, like coffee mugs, items of clothing, paintings, household decorations, etc.

Snowmobile/ATV Rental Stores

Another popular outdoor activity is riding through the wintry terrain on vehicles specially designed to conquer the snow and ice, so setting up a snowmobile rental is definitely a good idea in ski resort towns.

Guided Hiking Tours

Local knowledge of the best trails and overlooks around the town will also be in high demand during tourist season, so organizing guided hiking tours is a good way to make money in mountain areas.

Mountain Climbing Expeditions

A different, more challenging way to see the beauty of the mountains is mountain-climbing. This activity requires professional skills and specialized gear. Providing expertise and supplies for mountain climbing will attract some of the most dedicated and enthusiastic
visitors. Professional mountain climbers can also provide rescue services to the mountain communities.

River Expeditions

Another outdoor activity is boating on the rapids that cascade down the slopes, whether rafting, kayaking, or canoeing. Offering guided water tours, renting and selling equipment, and providing amenities for boating expeditions are an excellent business ideas in mountainous regions.

Ecological Tourism

Mountainous vistas are beautiful from afar. But mountainous biomes present a wide array of unique and diverse plants and animals to view from up close as well. Operating a ecotourism business allows for you to make these resources accessible to a wider public, and to meet an
important touristic demand.

Bike Rental Services

Bike-riding allows yet another way of getting in touch with the mountains’ natural beauty. This kind of business can be a good idea in areas with the right kind of roads and trails. If you can be the first in town to provide the service, all the better!

Taxi or Minibus Services

During tourist season, the crowds of people and crowded roads mean people will readily pay for mass transit and chauffeur services.

Parking Lot Rental

Similarly, operating a parking lot is a relatively simple way to take advantage of the crowds of tourists in ski resort towns.

Grocery/Supermarket

In more isolated communities, access to basic services is sometimes difficult. One example of this is that it’s not too difficult to find mountain communities that could use someone to run a grocery store. If the area sees a lot of tourist traffic during high season, attention to changes in
demand can provide good business opportunities.

Pharmacies

Another service that is in demand in isolated communities, both for residents and tourists.