With Utah’s national parks bulging with visitors — to the point that reservations are being considered — the Utah Office of Tourism has undertaken a strategy to boost the quality of visits rather than the quantity.
Called “Red Emerald,” the strategy looks to create Utah travel experiences that are special. The name comes from the red emerald, also known as red beryl, a prized gemstone found in any substantial size only in Utah.
“We named this new initiative ‘Red Emerald’ because that’s what we want the Utah tourism experience to be: a rare, refined, high-quality experience,” Vicki Varela, managing director of tourism, film and global branding, told the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board at a recent meeting.
The initiative was introduced at a Utah tourism conference this fall. Details are now posted at the office’s website, https://travel.utah.gov/. The principles listed there are designed to be a guiding document for the tourism office in prioritizing its promotional and product development efforts.
Varela noted that Utah has had “wild success” in increasing overall visitation to its five national parks, bolstered by the “Mighty 5” campaign, and that Red Emerald is a way to build upon that success.
“We know you don’t build on your existing success by doing all the same things,” she said. “You innovate and figure out how to continue to build the tourism economy with a quality offering. You’ll never hear our team, our board, talk about the quantity of visitors that we bring, because we’re not looking toward a larger quantity. We’re looking toward quality visitation.”
Varela cited as an example Chinese tourists who visit Utah’s national parks. Many come on tour buses, hop out for a brief excursion and hop back on.
“Our goal … is that they come and rent their own cars, spend more time, spend more money, have a higher-quality experience, and leave with a better-quality feeling within the communities that they visit,” she said.
Rather than adhering to a schedule laid out by the tour bus company, such a tourist could spend, say, five days visiting southern Utah and have more flexibility. They also would be more likely to be influenced by information provided by the tourism office, such as details regarding the best time of day to visit and other experiences “off the beaten path that will create a better-quality experience for the local community and the visitor,” she said.
“We’re pretty excited. We think it’s as exciting as the ‘Mighty 5’ campaign that we rolled out several years ago in terms of the potential to build our tourism economy in a way that leaves everyone wanting more — the visitor and the local communities.”
The principles document says the initiative “seeks to maximize tax revenues generated by tourists while creating a superior experience for visitors and communities alike by prioritizing six facets of our work.” Those facets are:
• Continue powerful branding. The office will continue the Mighty 5 and “Greatest Snow on Earth” messages. “Because these campaigns encompass the anchor experiences and destinations in Utah, we will continue to capitalize on the equity in these brands to further our success in all elements of the Red Emerald Initiative,” the website states.
• Prioritize quality, not quantity, of visitors. This is designed to “guide visitors toward a slower pace of travel, staying longer and having a deeper connection with the places they visit. In addition to improving the quality of the visitor experience, this will increase travelers’ economic impact through longer stays and additional services, including guides, classes and add-on experiences.”
• Distribute visitation statewide. The focus is on “hidden gems” that exist for tourists throughout the state. “While these alternative destinations do not yet have the visitor amenities to be a direct replacement for our busiest destinations, there are niche travelers these destinations can welcome thanks to remarkable birding, fly-fishing, biking, arts, paleontology, stargazing, ATV riding and other experiences,” the website states. “By matching the right visitor with the right information and the right mindset to the right place, we can significantly broaden the range of destinations and experiences we promote to distribute travelers to all parts of Utah.”
• Refine customer service. This will include everything from resources provided to potential tourists on the tourism office’s websites to the frontline hospitality at travel destinations.
• Embrace community-led vision. This principle calls on communities to “take the lead role in defining how they would like their community promoted, identifying whom they would like to attract and determining how much tourism is right for their economic development plans and community character.” Tourism can contribute “to community character and quality of life, supplementing a community’s diversified economic development plans and helping to celebrate local traditions, craftspeople and artists.”
• Champion infrastructure investment. They may include trails and recreational facilities, roadways and bikeways, wayfinding signage and proper funding for national parks and public lands.