Utah Tourism
Reinforces its presence in India market
The state of Utah in the USA has established itself as a premier outdoor and adventure destination and benefits from its growing popularity that attracts both young and well-travelled tourists looking for a unique experience. Zach Fyne, Global Markets Specialist, Utah Office of Tourism, shares his views on Utah’s newest draws that attract global tourists and how his organisation continues to promote the destination in India.
The allure of Utah has grown in recent years and new experiences in Utah appeal to every type of traveller and group size, starting with the new luxury Rocky Mountaineer train that connects Denver, Colorado with the adventure hub of Moab, Utah, crossing through the Rocky Mountains and red rock desert over two days. All five of their Mighty 5® national parks have recently been declared International Dark Sky areas. Utah now has the largest concentration of dark sky areas in the world for star-filled night sky viewing across 24 areas and towns.
Glamorous camping, or glamping, has taken off across all parts of the state with new opportunities to stay in luxurious safari tents, Conestoga wagons, tipis, and cabins surrounded by red rocks and tranquillity for a more unique lodging offering. Additionally, since the pandemic, there have been more opportunities to learn about Native American culture and historical preservations. These include new options for outfitters, lodging, and spas that give visitors new ways to interact with the native tribes, explore historically sacred monuments and areas, and enrich their experience with culturally relevant tours.
“What makes a visit to Utah so appealing to a wide demographic is that you can customise your experience every step of the way, depending on your budget,” says Zach. For those on a oncein-a-lifetime trip, there are options to secure private shuttle drivers and vehicles, stay in luxury lodging and glamping options, and get a more in-depth learning experience with outfitters to guide you across the national parks and most of the wild places across the state.
Sharing more, Zach adds, “If you’re looking to experience all of these same beautiful areas on a lower budget, then there are significant
savings from the national parks pass for all five of our national parks and more from the National Parks Service along with 44 Utah state parks on our state parks office’s pass, the affordable rates offered at the locally-owned inns and boutique hotels, and the freedom of driving one’s vehicles along our state’s 28 scenic byways makes the trip to Utah very attainable. For the ability to see some of nature’s most incredible beauty, wideopen spaces, and jaw-dropping landscapes at a bespoke rate, then the value-for-money experience for Indian tourists is undeniable.”
Also, the proximity to the international airport in Las Vegas, as well as the revamped and newest international airport hub in the U.S. in Salt Lake City, has allowed Utah to be very accessible to international flights from India.
Utah is entering into its second year of activities along with AVIAREPS in the India market which will include an increased presence as they further solidify their approach. AVIAREPS India oversees its account, intending to distribute its efforts to reach direct consumers, the media, and local tour operators. Last year, their destination participated in SATTE and OTM for the first time, hosted a travel trade FAM to Utah, and organised various pieces of training, information seminars, and events over the year.
“We intend to continue those efforts, with additional plans of organising an India Sales Mission across Mumbai and Delhi in January, participation in the Brand USA road show, hosting various Indian influencers in Utah, and additional PR efforts that will broaden our presence in the market as the year continues,” shares Zach.
With the travel trade, the Utah Tourism Office has engaged in various co-op marketing agreements to increase the number of Utah travel packages and familiarity with their product. In autumn, they will be launching a new B2B e-learning platform to help train frontline agents with everything they need to know to sell Utah to their clients. These actions align with their efforts to visit various cities and regions across the country for in-person training and events, as well as participate in tourism expos throughout the year.
Zach also announced, “We’ll be hosting events across India to more closely work with media and influencers, showing them the offerings of Utah to pique their interest to visit and cover our destination. Additionally, our social media, media buying, and other marketing mixes of actions are all closely integrated to present Utah as a new, off-the-beaten-track destination to the direct consumers throughout the year.”