With a growth of over 9% in spend from Australia to Utah and increased length of stays, we constantly look for opportunities to diversify the product offerings featured in market and continue to inspire and educate the travel trade on how to expand their product. Utah is a State that was focused on dispersion of travelers from the National Parks to the regions to diversify from the traditional coach traveler to a more active and flexible experience. This Product Manager & Destination Development Fam had a focus of combining the National Parks with off the beaten path regions, local cuisine and a combination of soft-active and more challenging experiences.
It allowed our Product Managers and Trade Content Influencer to see how achievable and accessible Utah is and the unique cuisine and experiences you can have within and outside of the National Parks.
Experiences from a couple of the participants:
Gillian Beath – JAC Canada – President
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this amazing trip. Everything was so well organized and you did a great job handling all the driving, keeping us on time (accidentally or otherwise ;-), encouraging us to explore our fear boundaries and making it so much fun.
Food: big surprise to find that level of dining not just in main centres but tiny towns like Boulder.
Accommodations: All really comfortable, I particularly liked Zion and Torrey for the unique design and immersing into the surroundings.
Adventure product: it all felt very well organized, well guided and safe. I noted that the activities are widespread and available in multiple areas (e.g. canyoneering).
Craft beer: I had no idea how big this is in Utah, the Beer Bar really put it in perspective!
Dinosaurs!! I had no idea that Utah was so rich in dinos. The Natural History museum in SLC was excellent and is a good intro to the state not only for dinosaurs but for the geology, ecosystems etc. I’m definitely going to recommend this for clients touring through.
Sam McBeath – Content Writer
Utah was the experience of a lifetime; a truly action-packed series of adventures one after that other that pushed many of us out of our comfort zone. From mountain-biking through Gooseberry Mesa to canyoneering down 90 ft cliffs in Orderville, East of Zion. One thing Utah has got over everywhere else is their adventure sports.
Now why I may have expected beautiful landscapes, I did not expect the delicious cuisine that was consistently served up from Springdale to Kanab and on to Moab and Salt Lake. It was a surprising treat each time to ride into a small, charming town looking dirty, dusty and dishevelled and to be greeted with Michelin-star quality dishes each and every night.
The other thing that stood out was the people. Utahns are amiable, family-oriented, welcoming and good-natured people who don’t take life too seriously and want to share their precious corner of the world with everyone who wants to see it. They don’t see anything wrong with the simple life, in fact, they promote it. They are proud of where they come from, they are proud of their vast, beautiful land, their hiking, skiing and snowboarding, the food, craft beer like the delicious Polygamy Porter (one is not enough), local wines and spirits.
Utah is an absolute must-visit destination and I can’t wait to return myself for work or play (in this case it was both). I truly appreciate everyone who helped put such an amazing trip together. Everything ran so smoothly and I was blown away each and every day.
