Tourism spending in Utah declined 10%, or by $700 million to $6.2 billion in 2009, according to a report released by the Governor's Office, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The report shows that the number of skier visits to the state dropped by 300,000 and that more travelers opted to drive rather than fly to the state. Visitation declined 4.5% to 19.4 milllion.
Still, 2009 marked the state's third best and the states expects spending and visits to rebound this year. Moreover, while overall visits and spending declined, the report estimates that visits to state and national parks rose 4.4% and 5.4% respectively as families sought less expensive vacations.
