SALT LAKE CITY — It was the annual Tourism Day on the Hill. Local tourism leaders said that Utah Visitor economy is a major driver of statewide economic strength.
Their most recent statistics indicate that tourism supports one in every eleven jobs in Utah.
In 2024, Utah's tourism industry tallied $13.3 billion in direct visitor spending and generated $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Those numbers are reflected in our own communities, like Logan.
“We see the impacts of tourism in our community in a positive way every day. That’s not necessarily from seeing people in our community but it comes from the tax dollars that they generate. We have a brand-new event center down at the fairgrounds. That entire thing is being paid for by taxes that are being paid only by tourists,” Julie Hollis Terrill with the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau said.
Like other industries t,hey run into issues too. Whether it’s a lack of snow or changes at our national parks, the managing director for the Utah Office of Tourism and Film, Natalie Randall, said they try to build a diverse and multifaceted economy.
“I mean candidly, the industry has gone through a lot last year, leading into this year,” Randall said. "We faced so many headwinds. What we look for though is the opportunities that exist. We made it through Covid, we were resilient and we were successful. We were one of the first states to truly recover."
All corners of the state are feeling the impact.
“People come from all over the world, so when they come from all over the world they want to learn about the landscapes,” Louis Williams, with Ancient Wayves River and Hiking Adventures said.
Williams said their location in Southeast Utah draws several visitors, and tourism’s role helps local businesses like theirs keep doing what they love.
“We’ve got a lot of indigenous history, so when we’re out there, guests want to come back to southeast utah maybe because they’ve seen it in a movie, so when they come out here they get to see it in person, smell all the beautiful plants, hear the beautiful language,” Williams added.
These leaders say with the help of the legislature ,they plan continue to support local jobs, businesses, and communities in every corner of the state.
