In this issue:

• Director’s Message: A newly minted mission statement previews what you will find in our now finalized Red Emerald Strategic Plan.
• Be sure to register for Tourism Day on the Hill, March 4.
• Call for sustainable travel resources that demonstrate a strong commitment to best practices and show both colleagues and visitors the best of what Utah has to offer.
• Just published videos and stories.
• Team updates for public relations travel trends, social media new IGTV series, domestic marketing 3-season highlights regional travel, creative connecting with new audiences, and research launches image perception study.

Early-bird registration is now open for the annual Utah Tourism Conference, to be held September 22-24, 2020, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.

This gathering brings together the tourism industry, state leaders, agencies and travel experts to explore the latest trends and opportunities for the industry. Attendees leave with actionable takeaways, feeling connected, inspired and ready to implement new strategies in their work.

See UTIA’s website for more information and to register.

The 2020 General Session of the Utah State Legislature will be held January 27 – March 12, 2020.

For information about the 2020 Legislative Session, the Utah Tourism Industry Association’s website has information that includes a weekly bill tracker, list of Utah’s elected officials, and legislative toolkit.

You can also access a significant session dates and weekly schedules, audio and video of meetings and debates, committee memberships, and more on the Utah State Legislature’s website.

Help your community become viable, welcoming, and high-quality destinations for tourism through the Destination Development Grant Program. The application period is NOW OPEN with application deadline date as February 7, 2020, by 5:00 pm MT. Applications can only be submitted online at https://travel.utah.gov/opportunities/destination-development​.

Participant communities will progress sequentially through three (3) planning programs designed to assist participants in becoming viable, welcoming, and high-quality destinations for tourism. The Utah Office of Tourism (UOT), with contracted consulting firms, will work with participants to ensure that destination development deliverables are actionable, relevant, and specific to each participant.

For more information, please view the Destination Development web page, guidelines and application webinar.

The Sundance Film Festival, held January 23-February 2, 2020, is one of the largest independent film festivals in the world and a showcase for new work from American and international filmmakers. For more than 30 years, filmmakers and audiences have been traveling to Park City, Utah, and surrounding venues to see some of the most innovative storytelling in cinema today. Here is some great advice from Utah Film Commission director Virginia Pearce on How to Sundance:

We are incredibly lucky to have a world-class Festival in our backyard and the following tips will help you take advantage of all the Festival action and navigate the fun. With screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort, we hope you can get out there and see something!

There are some amazing films from all over the world being shown this year. Check out the full line up HERE. We are thrilled that there are two films “made-in-Utah” at the Festival this year.

• Nine Days This film received a motion picture incentive and shot in and around Salt Lake and Tooele in August with an all-star cast including Winston Duke (Black Panther) and Benedict Wong (Avengers).
• The Killing of Two Lovers This film was written and directed by BYU professor Robert Machoian and was shot entirely in Kanosh earlier this year.

If a film you want to see appears to be “sold-out”, you can still join the electronic eWaitlist two hours before a screening’s start time and just show up directly at the theatre. The Waitlist is a Sundance Film Festival tradition!

In addition to film screenings, the Festival offers a variety of panels, art, concerts and new media installations, as well as some great people watching on Park City’s Main Street. So be sure to make some time to wander around the Festival. Find out more about how to experience the the Festival offscreen HERE.

We hope to see you around the Fest!

In this newsletter:

• Director’s Message highlights from UOT’s strategic planning process, focusing our momentum around our Red Emerald Business Initiative.
• Recently published videos include Permit of Solitude, Go With a guide, Harnessing passion, and Insider’s Guide to Park City. Plus, reach the stories from our latest Utah’s Explorer’s Guide.
• Latest tourism numbers from 2018 are in and include Utah visitors spent $9.75 billion in the Utah economy.
• Destination Development has a new co-operative planning grant opportunity.
• Meet our new public relations manager and new marketing analyst and research manager at UOT.
• Learn more about UOT’s urban marketing survey results and urban strategy.
• Upcoming events include board meetings and committee meetings.

The stories in this issue explore the theme of “This Land’s Heritage.” Some stories interact with people and artifacts that give definition to the place, others engage in outdoor recreation and activities and emerge with a deeper awareness and appreciation of that place.

A View From the Past reconstructs forgotten history on the Transcontinental Railroad Backway Byway.

Blazing Sandals human-powered and off-road adventures in North Lake Powell.

Tracing the Outlaw Trail in eastern Utah, where dinosaurs and cowboys play well together.

And additional stories on how to see the Milky Way and a connecting with an ancient people in an unforgiving landscape.

Desert Shutter Speed follows the steps of two photographers as they uncover a different side of the desert.

Gleaning a Small Town’s Harvest showcases how Scandinavian heritage, fine arts and historic preservation define Utah’s Sanpete Valley.

Read up on the latest from the Utah Office of Tourism:

• Director’s Message with some success headlines and problems to solve.
• Recently published web stories, video, and itineraries.
• Team updates with our content team, public relations, and marketing/digital strategy.
• Latest news in research.
• Upcoming tourism industry events, both instate and nationally.

Our new Explorer’s Guide is out and you can read the issue now to plan your year of transformative travel to include:

• Lost and Found in Desolation Canyon – A rafting pilgrimage through the remote rapids and canyon of the Green River
• The Bear Lake Monster Winterfest – Come for the Cisco Disco, stay for the party and learn about the lake’s monster lore
• A new life in Helper – Turning carbon into culture: art, Amtrak and a riverwalk anchor Helper
• Golden Spike at 150 Years – Northern Utah’s Golden Spike Country and railroad history are much bigger than the golden spike
• Snowfield and stream: A winter fly-fishing trip to Sundance Mountain Resort
• More… Artisian cheese in redrock country, the freedom of wild places in The Needles District, and Women in the Wild: Transformation and the outdoors