LDS PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVERTISEMENT GONE BAD!
Staff and agencies
23 July, 2006
By BROCK VERGAKIS, Associated Press Writer 39 minutes ago
SALT LAKE CITY - Tourists love Utah‘s ski resorts, red rock formations and fine restaurants. It‘s finding something to do once the sun sets that‘s giving the state an image problem.
Tourism is a growing $5.45 billion industry in Utah, but its domestic market share has steadily shrunk in the past decade, even following the 2002 Winter Olympics .
Leigh Von Der Esch, the office‘s executive director, knows it can take years to change perceptions. The tourism office has started an $11 million advertising campaign, focusing on attracting affluent outdoor adventure-travelers and educating them about local nightlife once they‘re here.
"We‘re the first to say Salt Lake has excellent bars and restaurants throughout the city. They are just not in a densely populated area," he said. "We feel that is definitely a drawback to the Salt Lake experience."
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson wants the restriction in Utah‘s most-visited city lifted. He said the perception is that tourists have to go to Park City — about 25 miles away — to have fun.
During the day, downtown bustles with people. By 6 p.m., its wide sidewalks are often empty and many businesses are closed.
"We do have lots of bars and nightlife, but you have to look a little bit for it. It‘s a challenging condition," said Councilman Soren Simonson. "If we‘re truly going to welcome the world, we have to let people make their own choices about alcohol consumption."
The Utah Office of Tourism commissioned the image survey to understand how the state compares with others. The results weren‘t good.
Utah scored poorly on cultural activities and nightlife.
Faithful church members don‘t drink, smoke, or consume coffee or tea.
A report last year by The Salt Lake Tribune showed about 62 percent of the state‘s population is Mormon, although the church contends the number is closer to 70 percent. Most of the state‘s leaders, including Gov. Jon Huntsman, are Mormon.
The state Legislature passed a law this year to ban smoking in bars beginning in 2009. There was discussion at the time of revisiting the state‘s liquor laws, which include a tax on full-strength beer and a requirement that bar visitors must be a member or a member‘s guest. Becoming a member involves a fee and a few minutes of paperwork.
"It‘s a slap in the face to tourists when they walk into a club and the first thing they‘re hit with is the question of whether they‘re a member and requiring they provide all this personal information and pay a fee to even get in the door," Anderson said.
The liquor law issue didn‘t make the cut for items legislators would study leading up to the legislative session that begins in January.
For all the debate, some, like Councilman Dave Buhler, see no problem in Salt Lake City.
"Compared to everywhere else in Utah," he said, "we certainly have a lot more going on in our downtown."