Welcoming the world: Utah draws more visitors from abroad.

• Author: Ostermiller, Pamela
• Position: Business Trends

While some Americans may not be traveling as far as Paris or Shanghai these days, the recession isn't keeping international vacationers from visiting the U.S., including Utah. International tourism is up in Utah, a trend that brings big benefits to the local economy. Some Utah communities, in fact, need foreign visitors to survive.

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"For an area as economically depressed as Garfield County, tourism is the industry and 70 percent of that industry comes from international tourists," says Lance Syrett, general manager of Best Western Ruby's Inn and Bryce View Lodge, situated at the gateway to Bryce Canyon National Park. "We no longer have coal mines or a timber industry to speak of. Without international tourism, we would have nothing in the way of industry."

Syrett tracks visitors with the Ruby's Inn registration log and says business from international visitors has grown over the past five years. "Most of our international visitors are European, although we have seen growth in the Asian markets."

These trends are common across the state, from Angel's Landing to Alta, while the numbers vary depending on the area's main attraction.

Spreading the Word

In Utah's southeast corner, San Juan County's tourism numbers were up 27 percent in 2008 and 72 percent of those visitors were international. "International tourism is huge for us because the American West is a must-see for international visitors," says San Juan County Tourism Director, Charlie DeLorme. San Juan County is at the heart of canyon country, famous for old West movies and the entrance to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, the home of "the iconic Southwest view," says DeLorme. "Everybody wants to see 'Forrest Gump Hill."'

Statistics for the county come from hotel records, which are often full with visitors to the park, but because most of the park lies in Arizona, these visitors skew the county's numbers a bit, says DeLorme.

Hotel occupancy statistics gathered from myriad agencies and sources only provide part of the tourism picture, says Tracie Cayford, deputy director for the Utah Office of Tourism, but her office is confident the numbers are up. "There are such a variety of markets that it's tough to get our arms around exact numbers," Cayford says. "We show that 4 percent of our total visitation to Utah is international, but we think that is likely flawed and very conservative." Especially so, she says, considering the largest attraction for international...