Cache Tourism Bureau Working To Bring More People North
Jul 24, 2020, 7:49 PM | Updated: Jul 13, 2023, 10:27 am
LOGAN, Utah — Officials in Cache Valley are making a big push to try and and attract people to the area who wouldn’t normally spend the summer vacations there, especially as people look for somewhere to celebrate the Pioneer Day weekend.
Many mountain man rendezvous events are cancelled around the state, but not in Cache Valley. That’s making for an added draw Pioneer Day weekend, but there are efforts to pull in crowds well beyond that.
Pioneer Day is not cancelled, but a lot of the events are, which is why the folks at the American West Heritage Center are hoping more people will look here.
“This was a really great event for Pioneer Day weekend,” said Abbey Saltas who visited from Kaysville.
It worked out for Abbey Saltas and her family.
“Normally, there’s parades and things to do and fireworks, but none of that’s happening, so this has been a really good opportunity to get outside with our family,” she said.
The staff is taking precautions against COVID-19, and it doesn’t hurt that there are 300 acres to socially distance.
“I’m not really seeking out things to do,” said Heidi Wahlen. “We actually stumbled upon this, and I’m glad we did.”
And folks in the area tourism industry are hoping more people will look to the wide-open spaces of Cache Valley.
“Just like everywhere else, we’ve got a lot of making up to do as far as the season goes,” Heidi said.
Julie Hollist-Terrill is the director of the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau. She said they are pushing more marketing to Utah and the surrounding areas than normal, and they are getting more visitors from the midwest than normal.
“Yesterday, I was talking to one of our hotel operators, and he said our occupancy — the amount of rooms that are rented right now — is about 60 perfect of their rooms, whereas last year at this time, they’d be in the high 80’s,” said Julie Hollist-Terrill.
Along with events like this one, they’re marketing area restaurants and shows at the local theatre, which will seat only up to a hundred people. They could normally do well over a thousand, but there’s still a long way to go.
“We’re in a difficult spot,” Julie said.
The Cache Valley Fair and Rodeo is also still on for August 6-8. They even added an extra day to account for the larger crowds they’re not expecting this year.
That event is drawing some concern from locals.
Organizers said they will encourage masks and social distancing.
