CONWAY — Despite limited ski area ticket sales and restrictions on restaurant seating due to the pandemic, Mount Washington Valley businesses still described the two February vacation weeks (President's Day vacation week, followed by New Hampshire vacation week) as busy with increased traffic, sales and bookings. The fact that regular snow falls kept local areas with great conditions for skiers and riders certainly didn't hurt.
Last year at this time, nervousness about the brand-new coronavirus was just beginning to flare. Yet the February vacation weeks were still strong.
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