Heber Valley: Reimagining Tourism’s Role in the Community

Heber Valley

Reimagining Tourism’s Role in the Community

It’s no secret that Mother Nature played favorites in Utah. With stunning crystalline salt flats, elegant red rock formations and majestic peaks capped with The Greatest Snow on Earth®, millions of visitors from around the globe are drawn here. The state’s $10 billion tourism industry, albeit impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a testament to visitors’ strong desire to experience all Utah has to offer.

It’s not just visitors that are flocking to Utah. Since 2010, the state’s population has grown by 18%. These new residents are not only enticed by the booming job market, attractive and welcoming communities, and businessfriendly environment, but also by unparalleled access to the outdoors and recreation amenities in Utah.

Utah’s popularity comes at a price, however.

“With record-breaking domestic and international visitation in the Mighty 5® national parks, 44 state parks, 15 ski resorts, and millions of acres of public lands — along with explosive population growth and related development — Utah is experiencing strains in several key destination areas,” said Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. “Without responsible and careful tourism planning and promotion, these strains could degrade both the resident and visitor experience,”

Recognizing the need to market and manage Utah as a destination, the Utah Office of Tourism launched the Red Emerald

Initiative in 2017. This long-term strategy for sustainable tourism growth promotes responsible visitation practices, including targeting quality visitors over quantity, distributing visitation statewide, and embracing community-led destination visions.

Through destination development planning grants and other services, the Utah Office of Tourism has worked with public and private stakeholders to support community-led visitor readiness. These efforts include guiding tourism growth to enhance the local economy while protecting residents’ quality of life.

One recent collaboration took place in the idyllic Heber Valley. Located in the Wasatch Mountains approximately 45 minutes from Salt Lake City between Park City and Provo, the Heber Valley has long been known as a calm, rural getaway with more dairies than driveways. The extraordinary growth and development the Heber Valley has experienced tells a different story. In 2019, it was one of the fastest-growing areas in the country.

“Heber Valley is transforming,” says Dallin Koecher, executive director of the Heber Valley Office of Tourism. “Growth has brought new opportunities and jobs that didn’t use to exist. There are more opportunities for residents to work where they live with more access to amenities they used to have to leave the valley to acquire.”

For example, Lola’s Street Kitchen, a fast-casual restaurant that started as a food truck, is committed to providing meals made from scratch using local, organic, and highquality ingredients. Locally-owned and operated, Lola’s Street Kitchen meets local demand and builds wealth in the community. Visitors, too, have been drawn to the area’s Olympic ski venues, three recreational reservoirs, and hundreds of square miles of backcountry wilderness. Familyfriendly attractions such as the Heber Valley Railroad and Midway Ice Castles bring thousands of

visitors each year. Utah’s newest ski area, the 6,800 acre Mayflower Mountain Resort, is currently under construction at the valley’s northern end. Once completed, it will offer thousands of residential units and hotel rooms along with 250,000 square feet of commercial and retail property.

As the Heber Valley continues to grow and change, community leaders decided it was time to plan how to guide and manage tourism to the area, says Koecher.

“We felt now is the time to take control of our future,” he said. “This means maximizing what we have while protecting what we love about Heber Valley.”

The Heber Valley Office of Tourism, with grant assistance from the Utah Office of Tourism, created a strategic destination management plan to envision tourism’s role in the community over the next decade and outline the steps to achieve that vision.

In addition to the strategic plan, the Heber Valley Office of Tourism also created a new brand and messaging that will resonate with visitors who will stay longer, spend more at local businesses, and engage with the community. “We had to be brave about the changes and ideas, and we had to be honest about our strengths and weaknesses,” said Koecher. “We were able to get some robust participation from our community leaders and business owners, which led to what we feel is a solid plan and brand.”

This forward-thinking planning will help the Heber Valley enjoy the benefits of tourism while also protecting the qualities that make it such a special place for those who live there. As the world continues to visit and move to cities, towns, and destinations around Utah, the Utah Office of Tourism will continue to promote responsible visitation, says Varela.

“As ambassadors for travel to Utah, our office is committed to being great stewards of our lands and communities,” Varela said. “Through thoughtful travel, we will keep Utah ‘Forever Mighty.’”