| Description |
Utah visitor spending increased each consecutive year from 2009 to 2019-a trend halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, travelers directly spent $7.07 billion in Utah, a 29.8% decline from the 2019 record spending of $10.13 billion. As a result, Utah travel and tourism spending supported 18,800 fewer jobs and generated $255 million less in total tax revenue. Despite the pandemic's disruptive impact on travel, Utah's parks and ski resorts continued to receive visitation as outdoor recreation proved to be one of the safest forms of leisure activity. The pandemic also led to an uptick in regional auto travel, short-term rental bookings, and rural exploration, not to mention a surge in digital wanderers and amenity migrants, which supported the growth of "Zoom Towns." |
