Weak Dollar Makes Utah A Travel Bargain

Utah national parks and ski resorts are attracting a record number of foreign visitors, thanks in part to the weak dollar. The Salt Lake Tribune has this new article on the phenomenon. Here are excerpts:

"We think it's the neatest thing in the world down here," said Lance Syrett, general manager of Ruby's Inn at southern Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park.

"You quote a price to an American and they bellyache," he noted. "You give the same price to a German, and they just smile."

The weak dollar provides a double-jackpot of sorts. More Americans are confining their vacations to within U.S. borders because foreign travel - especially to the U.K. and Europe - has gotten much more expensive.

"The people who would normally consider skiing the Alps are taking advantage of the weak dollar and our incredible snow year," he (Michael Berry) said. "The Brits, especially, prefer the experience in the United States because there is no language barrier, and by some estimates - given the strength of the [British] pound - the beer is practically free."

Foreign tourists now represent one-third to one-half of southern Utah visitors.
And those numbers are going nowhere but up, said Marian DeLay, the executive director of the Moab Travel Council.

"Our bookings are extremely good," she said. "It's been like this for a while, and it will be like this for a while longer."

Read the complete article.