Whats going on with Tourism in Utah?

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For my cartography class I wanted to showcase different maps and graphs I created this semester. When you visit somewhere in Utah, there are always tourists. I wanted to understand more about this and understand why they all come here.

When looking at the data for international tourism in the USA, Utah is not near the top of the list. It was only the 15^th most visited state by overseas visitors in 2022. So, with only a fraction of the visits that other states receive, why does it still feel like a very heavily populated tourist area?
These rankings almost seem to not line up with Utah’s appeal on a global scale, drawing attention to its natural wonders. Renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, including iconic national parks such as Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches. Utah offers a distinctive blend of geological wonders and outdoor recreational opportunities.

One of the most prominent reasons why people flock to Utah is for the “greatest snow on earth.” |
This map shows the spread of Ski resorts in the Salt Lake Valley, emphasizing the geographic area of each ski resort. The interesting thing about this data shows the spread of ski resorts in Utah. There are resorts throughout the state (some not pictured – those in Southern Utah) however the majority and highest concentration can be found in one small area of the state.

The reason behind the high concentration of ski resorts in one area is revealed by looking at the map above, the annual amount of snowfall. There is almost a slight “j curve” that goes through the middle of the state.
When comparing this map with the one on the right, you can see that the annual snowfall follows the topography. The mountains have higher amounts of snowfall.This data matches up with the locations of Utah Ski resorts. This data shows why there is such a high cluster of ski resorts in one place, this mountain range gets the most annual snow.

As you Zoom in on the high concentration of ski resorts, you can see the data more clearly. Seven ski resorts are found within a very small geographic area.
You can see that the resorts are found where the snowfall is highest because this map is also an indication of the annual snowfall levels, and the legend shows amount of snowfall. More snow = best place for a resort. While the elevations are not shown, it can be inferred that these resorts sit at very high elevations.  

A growing form of recreation in the United States is the sport of golf. This map shows the locations and sizes of each of the courses located in Utah. Locations of golf courses coincide with high-population areas. This is shown by St. George and the Salt Lake Valley area and there are high concentrations of golf courses. While this is a proportional symbol map, there seems to be no discernible pattern in golf course size. There are many variables associated with size, but most likely they are due to land, zoning, and budget.
Most of the courses are near one of the major freeways in Utah. While there was no data for annual visitors to each course, there are many to choose from as shown. Utah is not a world renowned gollf location, but there are some very scenic and popular courses found within the state and people travel from outside of Utah to play them.

Over time, the numbers of visitors to Utah’s mighty five national parks have steadily been growing. National Parks (and other areas managed by them) are popular locations for recreation and leisure. This graph shows data for visitation numbers and trends to each of Utah’s mighty five national parks since 1980.
In 2020, there was a large dip in visitation numbers due to the covid-19 pandemic. But as things have reopened people realized that being in nature “away” from people is a safe place to be. However busses, lottery systems, and overcrowding are a few examples of problems with high visitation numbers and are a reason people feel like Utah is so heavily visited by tourists. Sometimes they feel like you are at Disneyland!

The next map was made to show the visitation trends to the Mighty Five, and some of the other popular tourist areas within the state. Each of them is managed by the National Parks Service.
Firstly, it is interesting to note that the locations of each of these are all found in the southern portion of the state. You can see from the map that size does not indicate visitor statistics.
Zions National Park and Glen Canyon NRA (Lake Powell) were among the most visited throughout 2022, receiving millions of visits. Besides SLC and the ski resorts, these areas are among the most popular to people looking to explore Utah, or get away for a weekend - in state.

The above map displays public lands in Utah, emphasizing the NPS, USFS,  Fish and Wildlife and BLM land. These are the most accessible and readily available land ownership types within Utah and are a big reason people visit. Other places have privately held land that is not accessible to the public. Or there are large Urban areas taking up most of the space.
Camping on BLM land, exploring designated forests, wilderness areas, boating on lakes, and visiting National Parks are a huge reason that people visit Utah both out-of-state and in-state. During the summer months especially, lands are being used and people are everywhere.

One of the most overlooked reasons that people come and visit Utah is for the State Parks. In my opinion, I like visiting the state parks more because they have fewer restrictions, are more abundant, and offer better views. This map shows the location and amount of state parks in Utah. When comparing this map to the public lands map and the National site visitation map, it gives a more defined point location of the hot spots and lets the viewer see exactly the density and location.

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As you can see, Utah has many great features. Lastly, viewing the night sky and seeing the milky way is an unparalleled feeling, which is easily accessible in Utah.

Or perhaps, Utah just has some amazing sights found nowhere on earth.