Even without a boost from the Olympic Winter Games, the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau says 2002 would have been a banner year for tourism and conventions.
Today, five months after the Games have gone, things are still "rolling along," according to Dianne Binger, bureau president and chief executive officer.
"The good news is that the convention business is doing great," Binger said. "It would have been a banner year, even without the Olympics."
Speaking at the bureau's second quarter board of trustees meeting Thursday, Binger said the tourism and convention industries have held their own in the post-Olympic months, despite a bumpy economy and the Sept. 11 aftermath.
Binger attributed healthy hotel occupancy rates, an increase in leisure travel and a back-to-back packed schedule of conventions to solid planning and hard work.
"Since winning the Olympic bid in 1995, we have focused our efforts on increasing group business and encouraging convention planners to hold their 2002 meetings in Salt Lake to take advantage of the Olympic afterglow," she said. "Last year at this time, we felt very confident that 2002 would be successful and that we would weather any Olympic 'hangover.' And we have. Even with the Olympics taken out of the equation, we have more convention business in 2002 than in any other previous year."
In the midst of the rankling "Is downtown dead?" debate, Binger maintained that from her perspective, things are looking good.
"Despite all the sensational reports about downtown dying or being dead, it's alive and well, and tourism is thriving," she said.
Hotels are averaging higher occupancy rates, she said, and at higher average room rates than a year ago. And David Baird, Downtown Alliance economic development director, predicted the hospitality industry will continue to grow.
"We still believe that the downtown hospitality market will only get stronger," he said. "Over the last decade, we've added two dozen new restaurants. We're still the hub of cultural events, with Abravanel Hall and the Capitol Theatre and all the other venues. We think these are wonderful cornerstones to build around."
Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman said the downtown area might be "changing" from its heyday as a pedestrian-oriented community hub. But that doesn't mean it's in trouble, she said.
"Our facilities are booming. We're filling up our hotels, and our restaurants are reporting that business is good," she said. "Had we not had the Olympics, we would have been in the doldrums like the rest of the nation. But the Olympics gave us that boost to carry us through.
"Downtown is not dead. It's just not like it was in the 1950s. But it shouldn't be. It's just taking on a different flavor. We've got plans. So much is going on under the radar that people are pondering. But I can tell you, these are exciting times for Salt Lake."
From the bureau's perspective, there's still a lot of work to do, Binger said.
The travel industry diminished after last September's tragic events. Economic uncertainties and corporate accounting scandals have sent the market into a disconcerting nosedive. Businesses are cutting back on corporate travel.
"Our competitors are hurting and anxious to regain lost business," Binger said. "They are cutting rates, providing monetary incentives and offering concessions. . . . The competition for this lucrative (convention) business has always been keen, but now it is fierce. That is why we are redoubling our efforts to attract conventions and meetings to Salt Lake."
E-MAIL: jnii@desnews.com