The Times-Independent

Taxes, grant could boost air travel to Moab

County commission writes letter in support of grant


Grand County will learn in the coming weeks if its state grant application is approved to secure funding for marketing more airline travel to Moab.

A United flight departs from Canyonlands Field Airport in 2021.
Photo by Doug McMurdo

Grand County Economic Development Director August Granath presented a state grant application to the Grand County Commission on June 21. Following his presentation the commission voted 7-0 to approve a letter in support of the county applying to the Utah Office of Tourism to promote airline flights.

“The marketing will emphasize education for visitors around recreating with respect, staying on trails, and sustainable tourism,” the commission’s letter to the Utah Office of Tourism states.

The county will contribute $250,000 in transient room taxes (TRT) to match the $250,000 grant from the Utah Office of Tourism’s Cooperative Marketing Program.

“In large part, this is a continuation of what we have applied for over the last two years,” Granath said, adding that there has been a focus on target markets to get visitors to stay in Moab longer and spend more money.

During the same commission meeting, a contract was approved with Love Communication, a Salt Lake-based marketing agency that is assisting the county with the grant application.

The application states, “We will be promoting Moab, Grand County, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, the Colorado River, and our three scenic byways. We will promote all outdoor activities, biking, hiking, rafting, canyoneering, with Recreate Responsibly messaging.”

From monitoring and tracking consumer advertising and spending, Love Communication provided insights in the application about Moab visitor demographics. The application describes “middle-aged camping buffs” as visitors who “partake in camping and/or activities commonly associated with camping, but do still stay in a hotel on their trips oftentimes and self-report the second highest spend per vacation of our five audience groups.”

To advertise airline flights to Moab, marketing will take place on “ConnectedTV (Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Chicago),” the application states. Granath said Seattle and San Francisco are also target markets for airline flights to Moab.

The application states the Moab Travel Council Advisory Board never voted on approving the application before it was presented to the county commission for vote: “Additionally, our Travel Council Advisory Board has met several times in the last several months and has discussed our department’s strategy for this year’s co-op application and has been fully supportive. Although we ran out of time to get a formal vote from the board to approve the application, board Chair Jenny Gleason penned a letter of support that is attached.”

If this application is approved, the marketing campaign will begin on Nov. 1, launch in December and end in July of 2023.

Canyonlands Field Airport expanded in 2018 to be able to land larger aircraft. Moab became home to the smallest TSA checkpoint at an airport. Some changes have been small at Canyonlands Field Airport since the construction project for a $13.8-million runway expansion and $1.7-million terminal remodel was completed in 2018.

“Please don’t shower in the sinks” signs are no longer hanging at the restroom entrance. The vending machine has more to offer than cups of ramen noodles.

Other changes have been more noticeable — fees to park. Ticket prices have increased. In 2016 a Moab-to-Denver flight on Boutique Air was about $80. For summer of 2022, a Moab-to-Denver flight is in the range of $134 to $284 with service by United.

Granath said the county will hear from the state about the status of the application in early August.

“One thing we see when gas prices spike and concerns of economic downturn arise is an increase in ‘staycations’ or smaller, fewer, and more regional trips,” Granath wrote in an email to The Times-Independent. “We have focused on markets that typically road trip to our area, to ensure that we are capturing those ‘staycationers’ and encouraging them to fly instead of drive.”

New arrivals down

100s year-over-year

Flight data for Canyonlands Field Airport shows a change in the number of arrivals from 2021 to 2022. Airport Director Tammy Howland provided data that show in May of 2021 there were 1,529 United flight arrivals, but 1,121 in May of 2022. For June of 2021, Delta recorded 699 arrivals and in June of 2022 there were 452 arrivals.

Love Communication Vice President of Digital Marketing and Media Jonathan Smithgal wrote in an email the company will continue to promote responsible recreation in its advertising messaging for Moab, but he also notes fewer folks are traveling these days.

“One trend that we are increasingly monitoring for Grand County is the increasing percentage of people planning to either reduce the number of trips they are taking (44%) and/or planning to choose destinations closer to home (44%),” Smithgal wrote.