| Description |
In 2021, direct visitor spending totaled a record $10.56 billion in Utah, a 42.5% increase from 2020. As a result, Utah travel and tourism spending supported 130,600 jobs and generated $1.81 billion in total tax revenue. Despite COVID's disruptive impact on travel in 2020, Utah's parks, ski resorts, and business travel sector returned to-if not surpassed-baseline 2019 numbers in 2021. Increases in regional auto travel, short-term rental bookings, and rural exploration spurred during the pandemic continued in 2021 and into 2022. However, elevated gas prices and inflation generally, a strong US Dollar, and concerns of a potential recession in the United State led to softening in Utah's travel and tourism industry beginning in the late spring of 2022 and persisting throughout the summer. |
