CEDAR CITY — The Utah Office of Tourism recently announced the Visit Cedar City – Brian Head Tourism Bureau as one of four statewide recipients of the 2022 Destination Development Grant program awards.
According to a Feb. 9 news release announcing this year’s grant recipients, the goal of the Destination Development program grant is to empower Utah communities to create, clarify, and communicate their qualities as a visitor destination.
In addition to Visit Cedar City – Brian Head, the other three grant recipients were Explore Morgan, Tooele County and Millard County.
The recipients will use the grant money to begin the destination development and management process, which entails engaging local leaders and communities to develop locally led and supported tourism plans, the news release added.
Maria Twitchell, executive director of the Visit Cedar City – Brian Head Tourism Bureau, said the grant will provide $20,000 from the state, with the local bureau matching that amount for a total of $40,000.
“This program is the next step in Utah Office of Tourism’s destination strategy by providing Utah destination areas with technical and planning assistance that prepares them for future tourism development,” Twitchell told Cedar City News.
“In 2016, through this program, we invited destination expert Roger Brooks to do an assessment of our area, which helped us understand some of the challenges and opportunities here in Iron County,” Twitchell said. “Now, we are moving to the next step with the Utah Office of Tourism’s contracted consulting firm, Corragio. They will help us develop a tourism master plan for destination development and tourism economy expansion. The plan will identify goals, strategies, and action steps to implement the ideas and suggestions identified in the plan.”
“The beautiful aspect of this process is that our community partners will have input on the plan,” she added. “So as we, Visit Cedar City-Brian Head, move forward, we are guided by the wishes and needs of our tourism community.”
Vicki Varela, managing director for the Utah Office of Tourism, noted that the tourism industry plays an integral role in the success of Utah’s economy.
“It is inspiring to see destinations actively working to shape their tourism futures in a thoughtful way,” Varela said in the announcement. “We look forward to seeing the tangible results of their respective plans.”
Utah’s Destination Development Grants program began in 2015 as a single grant product that offered a community assessment by destination expert Roger Brooks. Acting as a first-time visitor, Brooks “secret shopped” the destination to identify the strengths and weaknesses of tourism attractions and suggest incremental improvements. The program has since added two additional grant opportunities: strategic development planning, and branding and marketing solutions.
Past recipients include Visit Ogden, Visit Park City, and Emery County. In 2019, Carbon County and Beaver County served as the program’s pilots by fully progressing through all three programs. The two counties have created success by crafting new brand identities and executing their short-term destination goals to help achieve their long-term tourism visions.
“Since its completion, Carbon County’s destination development plan has been an invaluable resource,” said Rita Vigor, Carbon County Economic Development and Tourism Director. “This process provided us with a simple and easy framework to advance our tourism goals and can be used as a model for any community’s tourism management efforts.”
As part of its Red Emerald Strategic Plan, the Utah Office of Tourism is committed to supporting community-led destination management through programs that enhance and develop local visitor economies in ways that benefit residents and visitors alike.
Written by UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM, with additional reporting by Cedar City News.
For more information, visit the Utah Office of Tourism website.