Included In This Toolkit
In collaboration and celebration with Governor Cox declaring April 2023 Utah’s third official Dark Sky Month, the Utah Office of Tourism has updated its toolkit with dark sky-related resources and assets for our tourism industry partners to utilize and share throughout this month and beyond.

The Dark Skies Edition Toolkit includes the following resources:

• A Beginner’s Guide to Dark Skies
• An Astrotourism Industry Guide
• The Official Dark Sky Month Press Release
• Visit Utah’s Social Tips for Dark Sky Month
• Shareable Dark Sky Digital Content from VisitUtah.com
• UOT’s Dark Sky Image Library

Click the buttons and links below to access these resources and more!

Utah Dark Sky Month Declaration – From the Office of Governor Spencer J. Cox
Governor Cox declared the month of April as Utah Dark Sky Month for the third consecutive year. The declaration encourages residents and visitors alike to celebrate this month by visiting one of Utah’s 24 accredited International Dark Sky Places – including all of the Mighty 5® national parks, 10 state parks, and two communities.

Celebrate International Dark Sky Week – April 15-22, 2023
Every year, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) hosts International Dark Sky Week during the month of April in order to create greater awareness about light pollution and its negative consequences, the solutions, and simultaneously celebrate the night. This year, IDA is inviting everyone to discover the night during the week of April 15-22, 2023. This is an exciting opportunity to create interest and bring new people into the dark sky movement.

Utah State Parks – Dark Sky Events and Programming
Justina Parsons-Bernstein, Dark Sky Initiative ​Coordinator for Utah State Parks, has compiled a list of dark sky events and programming that occurs across the state throughout the year. Keep up to date with each park’s website and social media pages, linked in the document, for current scheduling.

Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism – Collaboration of the Dark Sky Cooperatives
In January 2022, the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University became the home base for the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range Dark Sky Cooperatives. Through this partnership, informational and educational resources of both organizations have been collated into the Gateway & Natural Amenity Region Initiative’s GNAR Dark Skies Toolkit. These tools can be used by individuals, communities, and planners to promote and protect natural night skies. 

Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism – Dark Sky Passport Program
The Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University has developed a fun, new way to experience Utah’s dark skies with the Dark Sky Passport. Order your passport then visit a Dark Sky Place where you can see the stars, enjoy the great outdoors at night, and connect with the cosmos. Complete the activities in the passport, get your passport stamped, and share your experience. You’ll then receive an official Dark Sky Passport Certificate you can proudly display. And make sure you visit the organization’s More Dark Sky Activities webpage for additional information and activities.

Resorts Can Now Become Dark-Sky Certified
Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase was recently recognized as the first  DarkSky Approved Lodging location for its distinguished sky quality. Developed in partnership with Under Canvas, the DarkSky Lodging certification program sets a new standard in the travel industry, encouraging hospitality companies to join in DarkSky’s efforts to protect the night sky from light pollution. Read more about the program here.

The Utah Office of Tourism’s Co-op marketing program is now open for accepting applications with the following schedule:

• May  25, 2022 – Program opens and is ready to start accepting Round 2022 applications
• June 22, 2022 – Deadline for accepting applications
• July 11 and 12, 2022  – This year’s oral interviews will be held in person at Council Hall and if necessary, Zoom meeting options may become available.
• August 12, 2022 – The award announcements will be made during the Board of Tourism Development meeting in Salt Lake City

Visit our Traditional & Forever Mighty Co-op Marketing Program page here for information on what’s new this year, training webinars, accessing the program, In-State marketing and packages information, and for helpful tips and links.

Included In This Toolkit
In collaboration and celebration with Governor Cox declaring April 2022 Utah’s second official Dark Sky Month, the Utah Office of Tourism is redistributing its toolkit with dark sky-related resources and assets for our tourism industry partners to utilize and share throughout this month and beyond.

The Dark Skies Edition Toolkit includes the following resources:

• A Beginner’s Guide to Dark Skies
• An Astrotourism Industry Guide
• A Customizable Utah Dark Sky Month Press Release
• The Official Dark Sky Month Press Release
• Visit Utah’s Social Tips for Dark Sky Month
• Shareable Dark Sky Digital Content from VisitUtah.com
• UOT’s Dark Sky Image Library

Click the buttons below to access the resources!

Utah Dark Sky Month Declaration

From the Office of Governor Spencer J. Cox
On April 1st, 2022, Governor Cox declared the month of April as Utah Dark Sky Month for the second consecutive year. The declaration encourages residents and visitors alike to celebrate this month by visiting one of Utah’s 24 accredited International Dark Sky Places – including all of the Mighty 5® national parks, 10 state parks, and two towns.

Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism

Collaboration of the Dark Sky Cooperatives
In January 2022, the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University became the home base for the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range Dark Sky Cooperatives. Through this partnership, informational and educational resources of both organizations have been collated into the Gateway & Natural Amenity Region Initiative’s GNAR Dark Skies Toolkit. These tools can be used by individuals, communities, and planners to promote and protect natural night skies.

Celebrate International Dark Sky Week

April 22 – 30, 2022
Every year, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) hosts International Dark Sky Week during the month of April in order to create greater awareness about light pollution and its negative consequences, the solutions, and simultaneously celebrate the night. This year, IDA is inviting everyone to discover the night during the week of April 22-30. This is an exciting opportunity to create interest and bring new people into the dark sky movement.

Check out IDA’s Outreach Toolkit to learn more about how to participate in International Dark Sky Week 2022!

Utah State Parks

Dark Sky Events and Programming
Justina Parsons-Bernstein, Dark Sky Initiative ​Coordinator for Utah State Parks, has compiled a list of dark sky events and programming that occurs across the state throughout the year. Keep up to date with each park’s website and social media pages, linked in the document, for current scheduling.

Included In This Toolkit
Today, March 22nd, is National Agriculture Day. The Utah Office of Tourism is celebrating by releasing our Utah Agritourism Toolkit! This toolkit, developed in partnership with Utah’s Own, includes agritourism-related resources and assets for our industry partners to utilize and share.

The Agritourism Edition Toolkit includes the following resources:

• An Agritourism Industry Guide
• Shareable Agritourism Digital Content from VisitUtah.com
• UOT’s Agritourism Image Library
• Utah’s Own Producer List

The Utah Agritourism Toolkit includes the following resources

A Table for All’ Receives Tourism Marketing Award
The Utah Office of Tourism has illustrated a successful approach to community-minded agritourism content with their 3-part video series “A Table for All: Feeding Utah’s Culture.” This series earned a Gold Adrian Award for “Digital Marketing Series” from Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, and is being evaluated for “Platinum” and “Best in Show” recognition. This series spotlights the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots refugee-focused farm program, as well as farm-to-table dining practices at local restaurants in Ogden and Salt Lake City.

Utah’s Own 20th Anniversary 
This year, Utah’s Own celebrates its 20th anniversary of connecting consumers with local producers and farmers. To stay engaged with Utah’s Own and its 20th anniversary, follow them on social media or sign up for their email newsletter at utahsown.org.

Utah Farmers Market Network
The Utah Farmers Market Network at Utah State University supports local agriculture in Utah by promoting farmers markets and providing resources to increase capacity through communication, collaboration, technical assistance and professional development. To find a local farmer’s market in your destination, click here.

Calling on industry partners to join in submitting nominations for the 2022 Utah Tourism Hall of Fame!

The Utah Tourism Hall of Fame is presented by the Utah Tourism Industry Association and Utah Office of Tourism. Hall of Fame recipients are nominated by their peers and selected for contributions made to Utah’s tourism industry at the state, regional, or local levels. The Hall of Fame was first introduced in 1985 and has recognized 122 individuals who have elevated life in Utah through their leadership in tourism marketing, stewardship, and destination management.

The nominees will be reviewed, and a final selection will be made by a joint UOT and UTIA selection committee. The committee will make the selection based on a ranking matrix that follows the questions in this nomination form. As such, it is recommended that time is taken to submit thoughtful responses and highly recommended submissions include supporting documents (ie letters of support, imagery, articles, etc) to build a more complete nomination.

Please submit nominations HERE by Friday, APRIL 29. The presentation will take place at the annual Utah Tourism Conference, September 27-30, 2022, in Vernal, Utah, at the Uintah Conference Center.