Mayor Ben McAdams, Visit Salt Lake and Local Officials Launch “Ski City USA”

SALT LAKE CITY – Sept. 16, 2014 – Salt Lake is the only place in the nation that gives winter enthusiasts the unique advantage of having four world-class winter resorts featuring 500” of the Greatest Snow on Earth® just minutes away from a region filled with hundreds of hotels, restaurants, bars and unrivaled entertainment options. That is why Visit Salt Lake, along with Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, representatives from the four Cottonwood resorts and other local officials, today unveiled a new campaign – repositioning Salt Lake as Ski City USA with the tagline, “Once you’ve stayed in Ski City, you’ll never stay in a ski town.”

The new program launched today with a branding teaser campaign encouraging people to discover where Ski City USA is and explore the benefits of planning a trip to Salt Lake. The national advertising effort includes a complementary mix of a print and digital campaign driving people to an interactive website, www.SkiCityUSA.com.

“Ski City USA is a fantastic alternative to the traditional ski or snowboard experience where visitors are restricted by the limited offerings of a small resort town,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams. “Whether you live in Salt Lake or thousands of miles away, you can become a virtual resident of Ski City USA through social portals – joining a community united in being ‘locals’ of Ski City USA.”

The website highlights cities in the Salt Lake area as unique neighborhoods within Ski City USA, and gives each an opportunity to become brand stewards. As a result, site visitors can explore dining, nightlife, accommodations, resorts and activities available in all of the unique Salt Lake neighborhoods, which will help them plan their perfect vacation to Ski City USA.

“Municipalities will play a prominent role in the success of this new campaign because we are all distinct and unique neighborhoods – Sandy, Holladay, Salt Lake, Draper and all the others that add character to Ski City USA,” said Sandy City Mayor Tom Dolan. 

“Research shows that nearly half of the country identifies the Salt Lake City skyline as Denver,” said Vicki Varela, managing director, Utah Office of Tourism. “We are here today to let the country know that this magnificent skyline is ours, and Salt Lake is Ski City USA.” 

The new campaign looks to capitalize on the state’s continued record-breaking tourism numbers, which according to the Utah Office of Tourism, reached $7.4 billion dollars in traveler spending in 2012.

For more information, visit www.skicityusa.com.

About Visit Salt Lake

Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. In partnership with Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake improves the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors with a strong commitment to sustainability and stewardship of the area’s natural environment. Salt Lake is a unique fusion of metropolitan and mountain; the towering Wasatch Mountains that embrace the Salt Lake Valley offer a dramatic backdrop to the vibrancy and activities of the urban environment. 

Ski City USA video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6sCef7YsIw