• According to the Utah Office of Tourism, the likelihood of out-of-state tourists deciding to visit Salt Lake City dropped in 2018. Though still the leading destination in Utah, only 36% of non-state tourists visiting the state choose to explore Salt Lake City. This figure was 46% in 2017, though interestingly was the same percentage (36%) in 2016.
• In 2018, the top 10 states which represented out-out-state visitors to Utah were: California, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, and Montana. While these are statistics for the entire state, it is quite likely the visitors to Salt Lake City (as the state's top destination) are very similar in percentages. The percentages of total visitors to Utah from these states for 2016,2017, and 2018 have been included in the attached spreadsheet.
• The top DMA's attracting visitors to Utah are Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Idaho Falls/Pocatello, Denver, and Phoenix/Prescott.
• The most recent county specific tourism report prepared for Salt Lake County was released in July 2018 by the Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. The report contains great details on the tourism industry in Salt Lake County, but does not provide data specific to out-of-state visitor spending.

Trip Planning

•  73% of out-of-state visitors use their own experience or recommendations from friends and family to plan their trip to the area
•  51% of out-of-state visitors use the internet to plan their vacations to the area and 68% book their travel online.
• As for their sources of choice, out-of-state visitors utilize the following online methods in their planning: 29% Search Engines; 14% Social/ Commercial Networking Sources; 5% Facebook; 14% Travel provider website (airline, hotel, rental car, cruise, tour); 14% Destination Website; and 15% Online full service travel website (Expedia, Travelocity, et al).