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News We Can All Use Right Now

It’s been a difficult couple months since COVID-19 ravaged the travel and tourism industry, negatively effecting the vast majority of you, our members, and your businesses. However, as I’ve said since starting in this role at Visit Salt Lake, “We will get through this, together.” With all the negative news and crippling business figures we’re all seen ad nauseam, I thought I’d share some highlights of trends in consumer behavior our research discovered.

• ADARA (a travel data partner of VSL) reported that Salt Lake was the 4th most booked city for Memorial Day weekend for top destinations (as shown through occupancy rate). That means Salt Lake was more popular than Miami, Atlanta and Las Vegas.
• ADARA also noted that people are not avoiding crowds. Quite the opposite, in fact. Many consumers are pining for social connectiveness as shown by an increase in overall dining reservations of late.
• ADARA’s data also shows growth in events, such as concerts. Summer bookings for musical events are climbing steadily after a dramatic downturn in April.
• Destinations Analysts’ most recent traveler survey came back with promising figures: 32.3% of travelers expect things to get better (up over last week’s 28.6%).
• Destinations Analysts also noted increased consumer confidence when travelers were asked how relatively safe vs. very unsafe some travel activities might be.
• Travelers are slowly gaining confidence in some of the key components of a typical travel plan. As some areas are still riddled with uncertainty, other areas are seeing visitors come once again.

The team at VSL will take this data and market accordingly, understanding the issues and concerns some travelers still feel and likely will for some time. That said, we are excited to get back to what we do best: promote and sell Salt Lake in partnership with you, our members, so we can all get back to some semblance of normalcy sooner rather than later.

#SaltLakeStrong

Kaitlin Eskelson
President/CEO

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Personal Shopping Experience with VSL

Looking for unique gifts made in Utah? Searching for some “swag” to give to customers? We have the perfect solution!

Sign up for a personal one-on-one shopping experience with our Visitor Services Director Bill Krause and shop to your heart’s content! We have taken 40% off every item in our store in order to make room for new merchandise, with items ranging from Utah honey to Salt Lake hoodies to Ski City beanies and everything in-between.

To schedule your individual shopping trip (with correct social distancing and #saltlakestrong masks provided by Visit Salt Lake) please email Bill Krause.

Additionally, in hopes of helping businesses throughout Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake has launched our new Gift Card Marketplace, a commerce page that sells electronic gift certificates in increments of $10 and $25 to participating Salt Lake businesses. Until visitation to Utah’s capital city is back to pre-pandemic levels, all fees are being absorbed by VSL and Salt Lake City-based Bandwango, host of the commerce platform, with 100 percent of all revenue generated from the e-gift cards going directly to the participating businesses whose gift cards are purchased. If you and your business are interested in signing up to sell your gift cards on VSL’s Marketplace, please contact Cristina Chavez.

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Sales Update

To date, 45 meetings, athletic events and conventions have cancelled. We’re confident, however, “Zero To Three” will hold their convention in the Salt Palace the first week of October, immediately followed by the Vice Presidential Debate.

Because clients have been unable to make site inspections and the VSL team has been unable to attend industry trade shows and sales trips, we’ve been hosting virtual site inspections and virtual client events during the past two months and our efforts are paying off. In April, four bookings were secured; Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research (2022), RootsTech (2021), USA Gymnastics (Sept 2020 in the Mountain America Expo Center), and USA BMX (this 2,070 attendee event is waiting for approval by the Health Department to occur next month.)

Four additional citywide conventions have verbally committed to Salt Lake, including American College of Medical Genetics & Genomics (March 2023), American College of OB/GYN (May, 2024), American Academy of Health and Rehabilitation (October 2025), and American College of Sports Medicine (May 2026).

And just this week, we secured the National Archery in the Schools Program that will bring 6,000 attendees to the Mountain America Expo Center in May 2022, 2023 and 2024. Despite cancellations and uncertainty, the VSL sales team continues to pursue future business and retain existing business.

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Keeping your team and business safe

We have had many members reach out looking for supplies in order to keep clients and employees safe as businesses reopen. If your organization has PPE equipment or safety and sanitation supplies available for purchase, please contact Judy Cullen and we will be happy to share your information with our members.

CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL PPE OPTIONS!

Hot off the press!

The 2020 Salt Lake Official Summer Visitors Guide has hit the shelves. If you’d like a free box of 100 issues delivered to your business please connect with Miranda Maisto.

CHECK IT OUT

Woodland Fairies at Gardner Village

Through June 30, experience Woodland Fairies with whimsical discoveries around every turn. Enjoy the self-guided A-Z fairy quest, Wishing Bridge and find your fairy name game. It’s the perfect outdoor get-away for fairies, pixies and imps of all ages!

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC

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