|
NEWS RELEASE
May 18, 2005
Contact: Tracie Cayford, (801) 538-8777
Travel Trends Discussed at Utah Tourism Conference
Cedar City, Utah—International travelers are the fastest growing segment of tourists in the United States and Utah is poised to take advantage of that trend. That’s what tourism experts told about 200 participants at the Second Annual Utah Tourism Conference in Cedar City last week.
“The weak dollar has put the United States on sale, and if you are traveling anywhere in this country you’re going to run into the French and the Germans and the British and the Italians because they are coming here,” said Mindy Fetterman, Money Section reporter for USA Today.
Manny Menendez, former executive director of Economic, Business and Tourism Development for the City and County of Honolulu, believes there’s a huge potential for an international tourism initiative in Utah, especially to attract Asian visitors.
“Tourists want to meet local people,” said Menendez who is a member of the Global Bridge Foundation, an organization dedicated to help leaders in the public and private sectors with economic development-related issues. “Cultural activities are a tremendous economic engine.”
Utah attracts more than 17 million out-of-state visitors every year, but less than four percent of those tourists are from oversees.
Fetterman discussed the different segments of travelers today, including a recent surge in international travelers due to the weak dollar. She also referenced the family travel numbers, which are expected to increase in the coming years; an opportunity for Utah with its varied family-friendly attractions. But, she warned there are signs of caution in the tourism industry. “Consumers are nervous you know. High gas prices, war and a zig zag stock market makes people nervous,” she explained. “Business travel is up finally, not to the levels it was pre-911 but it’s rising and that is good because business travelers spend more than leisure travelers because the company is picking up the tab.”
Menendez also sees great potential in the field of sports tourism. He encourages communities to build sporting facilities that can also be used to attract tourists. “Build things that are world class for your local population,” he said. He pointed to soccer fields that were built in Honolulu for the community, but they’re used as an “economic engine” five percent of the time.
Tim Schneider, editor and publisher of Sports Travel Magazine, told the conference that the growing sports related travel market is a $154 billion industry that generates 46.2 million room nights annually. “The importance of sports tourism in Utah cannot be understated,” Schneider told attendees during a breakout session at the conference.
The three-day conference on the campus of Southern Utah University was sponsored by the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition and the Utah Office of Tourism.
# # #
|