Like Utah's snowcapped mountains, brisk winter air and well-groomed ski trails? Come back and see it all again ? this time in the summer.
That's the message Utah's Hotel & Lodging Association is trying to get out before the current crush of national and international Olympics media leave town.
The 300-member association, representing 19,350 of the state's 46,250 available rooms, launched its "2002 Summer Celebration" Wednesday, complete with Dutch oven treats to warm cold press conference-goers.
Timed to take advantage of the worldwide interest in the state, the promotion will offer 20.02 percent discounts at more than 100 hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts statewide and a matching discount at participating golf courses, river rafting and bicycle tours, restaurants, stores and recreation and entertainment sites across the state.
"We're figuring that these are steps that the hotel and lodging industry can take to counteract the post-Olympic economic letdown," said Ben DeJong, marketing and sales representative for the 300-member association. "It's been proven that after the Games are over, these towns are ghost towns."
Ann Gambrino, executive director of the association and president of the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition, on Wednesday noted other factors that could contribute to hospitality industry trouble.
"Being an Olympic city, we do not want to fall into the economic pattern that other Olympic cities have experienced in the past after the Games," she said. "And, additionally, after 9/11 and the economic slowdown and the slowdown in the tourism industry as an effect, we wanted to find some way that we could continue to move travel and tourism people to the state of Utah."
Most of the state ? including southern Utah's famous red rock country ? has received scant benefit from Games exposure so far, DeJong said. And even those areas that have been inundated with Olympics travelers, some built just for the Games, now run the risk of falling on hard times.
"The possibility is there," he said. "If we don't act, we could fall into a real recession."
The promotion also is meant to encourage Utahns to be more adventuresome in exploring their own state, enticing those in northern Utah to journey south and vice versa, DeJong said.
The 20.02 percent discount will apply to reservations for two or more nights at participating hotels for stays between May 1 and Nov. 15. The discounted reservations will be available beginning April 1 by calling 1-866-SEE-UTAH, or visiting the Web site www.utah.com.
The discount program has restrictions. For example, it cannot be applied to other discounts, will be used only when mentioned during booking, blackout periods may apply and it will not be available for groups of more than 10.
Gambrino said the summer program is modeled after the current 2002 Winter Celebration undertaken by Ski Utah and various hotels. It offers skiers a $20.02 discount on lift tickets when they book a stay of at least three nights at a participating hotel.
"The winter program was set up to attract guests to our winter resorts and the fantastic powder skiing in Utah before, during and after the Games. The summer celebration is to promote travel all over Utah during the spring, summer and fall ? the rest of 2002 ? by offering 20.02 percent discounts statewide," she said.
"This is our opportunity to bring the world back and to take a look at the rest of the splendor of Utah."
E-mail: moneill@desnews.com, bwallace@desnews.com