Utah advised to lure tourists from West

Utah has $10 million to spend this year promoting the state to potential outside tourists, and some statistics unveiled Monday indicate those dollars perhaps should be spent in nearby states.

Ed McWilliams, senior vice president of account services for Virginia-based travel and tourism market research company D.K. Shifflet & Associates, told the state Tourism Task Force that 60.8 percent of Utah’s visitors come from the Mountain states, and 26.4 percent visit from Pacific states.

California alone accounts for 24.3 percent of visitors, behind in-state visitation of 38.1 percent.

"You want to focus your communications to the West, particularly California and Nevada, and don’t forget the residents and day-trip markets," McWilliams told the group. "Focus on gaining back share of travel from (Los Angeles), Vegas, Denver and Idaho Falls."

McWilliams’ slew of survey statistics indicated the visitors — surprise! — enjoy sightseeing, visiting parks and involvement in outdoor activities.

By Brice Wallace
Deseret Morning News

Full Story: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,610152334,00.html