Niche Audience Studies
The purpose of niche audience studies is to help the Utah Office of Tourism better attract low-impact, highly-engaged visitors and recreators and prepare communities to manage their destinations. UOT will contract with a vendor(s) to conduct market research studies to identify five niche travel audiences, including details like demographics, travel and spending habits, and opportunities for new tourism and recreation products. Examples of niche audiences include Hispanic travelers, agritourists, and dark skies tourists.
Contact: Becky Keeney, Director of Strategy | [email protected]
Sentiment Surveys
The Utah Office of Tourism will conduct sentiment surveys to understand the impact of tourism on communities, visitors, and industry stakeholders, with results informing strategies through 2027. Record visitation at Utah’s parks and resorts highlights the need to identify tourism pinch points and growth opportunities. Initial findings show mixed resident reactions, with concerns about crowding and affordability. UOT will use these insights to adjust marketing strategies and may commission more comprehensive studies based on ongoing research.
Contact: Denise Jordan, Director of Marketing Analytics and Research | [email protected]
Utah Film Trail
For 100 years, Hollywood has been using Utah's magnificent settings to enhance films. Utah's mountains, deserts, and urban environments have been featured in film favorites such as Forrest Gump, Thelma and Louise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Sandlot, just to name a few. Film tourism has been on the rise for several years. Some in the tourism industry call it "set jetting" when people travel in search of their favorite film locations. In Utah, this can be tricky, and depending on the landscape, even dangerous. Visitors have had to rely on various websites to provide information about what was filmed at what location. The Utah Film Trail will enhance the visitor experience by establishing signage at dozens of significant locations across the state, and in doing so, encourage more visitation, especially to rural Utah.
Contact: Utah Film Commission | [email protected]
Responsible Visitation Messaging
In recent years Utah has seen an increase in first-time visitors as well as a large number of new residents who are experiencing Utah's outdoors for the first time. An unintended consequence is that many people are going into the outdoors unprepared, and unaware of proper, sustainable behaviors. This has resulted in increased incidents of vandalism, trespassing, trash, forest fires, and illegal camping. Increasing numbers of call-outs for search and rescue operations have also created a strain on emergency services providers in both urban and rural areas. To address these statewide issues, The Utah Office of Tourism will create key messaging aimed at visitors and residents alike to protect and enhance our tourism resources.
Contact: Becky Keeney, Director of Strategy | [email protected]
Tourism Exchange
The Tourism Exchange increases the opportunity for Utah’s suppliers to reach global audiences and become visible and bookable. (In particular, small businesses that do not have the time, resources, and knowledge to do so independently).
Contact: Rachel Bremer, Director of Global Markets | [email protected]
Tourism Resiliency Training
Across the state of Utah, and especially in rural Utah, we know many visitors are looking for businesses and people to provide, guide, and curate paid visitor experiences. This creates opportunities for new businesses and the growth of existing businesses that are willing to meet the needs, especially in emerging areas of tourism including agritourism and astrotourism. To foster business, job creation, and economic resiliency, the Utah Office of Tourism will provide training in these fields so destinations can become self-sufficient, as well as financially, legally, and professionally proficient.
Contact: Rachel Creer, Partner Resource Manager | [email protected]
