Despite some concerns in the wake of the post-COVID-19 travel downturn, multiple executives are reporting a relatively strong start to the 2024 season.
For Chili Pepper Bike Shop, the Easter Jeep Safari week, held March 23-31, provided a useful kick-off to the traditional spring tourist season.
Store manager Philip Martin said: “Easter weekend was off to a great start.'' “Overall, I would say it was more stable until March.”
Several hoteliers said the same thing at a recent Grand County Travel Council Advisory Committee meeting.
Brian Hannings, Chairman of the Board and Manager of Red Cliffs Lodge, said: “Jeep Safari/Easter week was a very busy one.”
“We did very well with Jeep Safari,” agrees Rebecca Monceau, another board member who manages Element Moab sales. “…The season has really started for us.”
While not necessarily indicative of next year, it could signal a solid spring after several years of post-coronavirus adjustments in the tourism market.
“Everyone's brand has been diluted by COVID,” said Grand County Economic Development Director Ben Fredregill. “This is not just a Moab story.” [issue]”
Fredregil, who recently attended an international tourism conference in Berlin, Germany, said he was surprised to see other adventure travel destinations spending so much money on marketing efforts.
“We're in a very competitive market. It's always been very competitive,” he said. “I'm currently on steroids.”
Fredregil noted that Moab's tourism economy faces other challenges post-pandemic. He specifically cited the recent appeal of international travel, coupled with the slow return of international travelers to the U.S. market and increased selectivity in travel overall.
In fact, following a strong 2021 in which the county's transient room tax revenue surged 45% compared to 2019 levels, tax revenues were noticeably weaker. It declined by 11.6% from 2021 to 2022 and by an additional 8.4% from 2022 to 2023, according to a Utah Tourism Authority analysis of inflation-adjusted data from the Utah Tax Commission.
At the same time, local hotel and short-term rental vacancies increased slightly in 2023 than in 2022. According to Smith Travel Research, occupancy rates in 2023 decreased by 4% compared to 2022. Research firm Lighthouse estimates short-term rental occupancy has declined by 5 percent. %same year.
(Lighthouse also found that short-term rental supply in Grand County increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023.)
The post-pandemic downturn isn't necessarily unique to Moab, however. After a busy 2021, many of Utah's popular parks are “down a little bit,” said Dennis Jordan, director of marketing analysis and research for Utah Tourism.
“What we've seen since then…is a return to the levels we saw in 2017, 2018 and 2019,” Jordan said.
Visitor numbers to Canyonlands National Park reflect that, with approximately 800,000 visitors in 2022 and 2023 roughly mirroring 2016-2019. Arches National Park, meanwhile, had about 1.4 million visitors in 2022 and 2023, almost close to the 2015 and 2016 combined.
Jordan said one of the biggest differences in Utah's tourism industry before and after the pandemic is the lack of international visitors.
“What we're missing is that part of international travel,” she says. “International travel has not fully recovered.”
Jordan said the state's tourism board now expects tourism from Europe, Asia and other countries to rebound to “more than 2019 numbers” by 2025.
Fredgill said he has heard that many travelers are also being more selective with their vacation choices.
“People who would normally take three trips are now taking one trip,” he says.
Chili Pepper is seeing an increase in spontaneous trips and a decrease in pre-booked trips, Martin said.
“It feels like a tourist trip,” he joked.
In any case, multiple executives and managers have reported rosy results for the first quarter of 2024.
Michael Miller, manager of Dewey's Restaurant and Bar, said 2023 was a “decent” year and he expects this season to be similar.
“The mild weather really helped,” Miller said. “We feel like we're in a good position.”
At the March 12 Travel Council board meeting, both Hannings and Monceau reported on a strong March.
“People aren't afraid to spend money,” Hannings said. “With Europe opening up post-coronavirus, we are definitely seeing guests coming back who all went to Europe last year and are now coming back.”
Moab Chamber of Commerce President Shari Bryant said at the April 9 board meeting that she has heard positive prospects from several local businesses.
“I'm hearing that people are a little more optimistic than they were last year,” Bryant said. However, he pointed out that after a difficult 2023, some food trucks' profits are still weak.
“They're a little worried now, they just don't want it to happen again,” she said.
At the bike shop, Martin said the outdoor industry is in the process of resetting and stabilizing after the coronavirus boom. He said staff are conservative with their plans but still feel optimistic about business in 2024.
“The weather is nice and getting better and better,” he said. “Overall, I think the atmosphere is quite high.”
This article was first published by Times Independent.
