Utah’s outdoor industry is a $12 billion economic engine. However, as the state navigates the future of travel, recreation and the impending 2034 Winter Olympics, industry leaders are looking closely at how to sustainably manage growth, expand the state’s global perception, and foster a lifelong love of the outdoors for all.

During Salt Lake Business Journal’s recent Travel, Tourism, Outdoor and Olympics Roundtable, local leaders and business innovators gathered to discuss the path forward. The full conversation can be found online. Here are the four main themes from the conversation:

Showcasing Utah’s Year-Round Diversity

While Utah's reputation for winter sports and Red Rock country is well established, leaders emphasize the need to highlight the state’s diverse, year-round offerings — including new developments and still growing movements.

“Visitors have a strong opinion of Utah as a great place for outdoor recreation. We’ve been known for the ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’ for a long time. ... [But] something else that’s unique to Utah is we have the most dark sky places in the entire world. ... I think we’re becoming better known for our arts and culture ... to combine with our incredible landscapes.” — Dave Williams, associate managing director, Utah Office of Tourism

“We’re super-excited to be adding surfing to the mix here, because it’s maybe the one thing that isn’t here yet, and it’s going to be an incredible world-class destination down in Washington [County] that we're really stoked to be adding to the adventure mix. …” — Jenna Timinsky, director of operations, American Wave Machines

“... I think our greatest asset that we have here is something that we don’t really have control over, and that’s our proximity. Everything is so close, and you can be in the city and go ski during the day, be back downtown, and go to a Mammoth game, Jazz game, opera, ballet.” — Ryan Mack, chief communications and experience officer, Sports Salt Lake

Digital Stewardship and Preserving the Outdoor Experience

With apps and social media making it easier than ever to discover remote locations, a major point of discussion centered on managing crowd expectations, infrastructure and responsible recreation.

“We live in a world of digital stewardship, right? And it’s kind of new terrain. ... How many people are using our app to discover places and to drive them places? ... We don’t control how they behave, but can we do things to help influence behavior in that process?” — Pitt Grewe, head of social and environmental impact, AllTrails

“We have a whole Utah Forever initiative that’s all about encouraging people to come prepared when they travel to have the right footwear, have plenty of water ... but also don’t litter, take care of the trail, don’t deface the pictographs ... trying to help people come have the best experience possible. …” — Dave Williams

“If you can get out the door and access that recreation close, close to you, it really enhances that quality of life, and just connects you to our wonderful, wonderful landscape. …” — Carly Lansche, Trails & Planning Program director, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation

(Rebecca Olds/Salt Lake Business Journal)

Engaging the Next Generation and Accessible Recreation

Ensuring that the outdoors are accessible to everyone — from young children to individuals with mobility limitations — is a vital step in maintaining the health of the industry and the local community.

“I love the idea of the ‘8 to 80’ design. You’re designing for ages 8 all the way to ages of 80, and I think the motorized world is so accessible for people to all hop on the same vehicle. ... Utah really is a leader in terms of accessible outdoor recreation for people with spinal cord injuries or some sort of paraplegic mobility limitation, and we have some really incredible, groundbreaking technology that came out of the University of Utah here to help people get out on a Tetra Ski. …” — Carly Lansche

“... What that does for kids, just happiness, their involvement, their satisfaction in life, when they can pick up a bow. ... Every kid puts a smile on their face. ... It gets their confidence up, it gets them knowing that they’re good at something.” — Tyson Yates, vice president of sales, Easton Technical Products

“... It is a big hurdle of entry for kids [to buy outdoor gear], but at the same time ... it feels better to spend money on that than it does on other aspects of life. ... It also just adds value to your life on the activity, specific to spending your money elsewhere.” — Pitt Grewe

The 2034 Olympics: Elevating Tourism and Local Manufacturing

The return of the Winter Olympics in 2034 presents an unprecedented opportunity not just for tourism, but to cement Utah’s reputation as a global hub for outdoor product manufacturing.

“I think the Olympics will provide this awareness and elevation of the destination to get more people aware of who we are, what we do, and hopefully come visit us. ... We don't have to build anything, so all the infrastructure is here. ... I think that leaves the door open for ... highlighting manufacturers [and] helping local companies. …” — Ryan Mack

“To me, there’s an opportunity with the Olympics to just raise awareness. ... I think it’d be really cool to highlight Utah’s manufacturing contribution to Olympic medals, to Olympic equipment. We are for tourism, but we’re also a manufacturing hub, and really known in the outdoor industry. …” — Tyson Yates

... I think it would be important to let the outdoor industry know that if they are an outdoor products company, and they want their people to be able to enjoy the outdoors and be able to do marketing videos in their backyard ... come to Salt Lake. ... I’d like more outdoor companies to come to Utah.” — Dusty Heyrend, product and brand enablement lead, Magnum Bikes