Las Vegas

Typical Tourists

• For decades, Las Vegas has successfully appealed to different generations of adults ages 20-80, with the average age of a Las Vegas visitor being just over 45 in 2018. In recent years, the average age has gone down. While millennial visitors were the largest age group in 2018, baby boomers and Generation Xers made up about two-thirds of Las Vegas tourists.

Reasons for Visiting

• According to a study of Las Vegas visitors, 82% of people who visited Las Vegas in 2018 were repeat visitors. For 45% of the visitors, their primary purpose for visiting was vacation or pleasure, 17% were visiting friends or relatives, 7% were there primarily to gamble, 8% visited to attend a convention, trade show, or corporate meeting, 7% were there on other business, 9% were just passing through, 4% were attending a special event, and 3% were attending a wedding.

Main Special Attractions and Activities

Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat

• Founded by the magician duo, Siegfried and Roy, this attraction is a sanctuary for dolphins, white tigers, panthers, and lions, and has attracted millions of visitors for over 27 years. It is located in The Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip. Visitors can pay to paint, swim, or practice yoga with the animals.

Mystere

• Mystere is one of six resident Cirque du Soleil shows, held at the Treasure Island Hotel since 1993. The show features high-energy performances, such as a revamped teeterboard act and the hand-to-hand duo — resident clown, Brian Le Petit, and show narrator, Moha-Samedi — who have been a part of the show since its debut.

Examples of Large Events

•  AQHA Level One Championship & Western Gift Show
•  Arabian Breeders World Cup 

Digital and Advertising Campaign

• #OnlyVegas campaign on Twitter, Facebook, and the official Las Vegas website. The campaign launched a new slogan for the city: "What happens here, only happens here."

Visitor Reviews

• "The Strip is a fun place to be any time of year and pretty much any time of day. Both times that I have been to Vegas, I felt safer than what some perceptions might be of the area, and enjoyed my time there." — Patrick B
• "In 5 days, we walked 6 miles per day on the Strip and Fremont Street. Went to two shows: Love and the Bronx Wanderers. Both were fantastic. Even won at Ultimate Texas Holdem. The only negatives were the odor of pot everywhere you walked and the disappointment in my stay at the Planet Hollywood." — Pioneer511354

Lake Mead

Typical Tourists

• Available statistics on Lake Mead's visitors did not provide a demographic breakdown to be able to determine the generation among which Lake Mead is popular, but the destination attracts visitors of all ages.
• Based on the regulatory information for boating on the lake, visitors include children and infants; persons, age 12 or below, are required to wear a life jacket while on board a vessel. However, Lake Mead National Recreation Area has activities designed for a broad range of ages, from kids to senior citizens ages 62 and older, with different fees for different age ranges.

Reasons for Visiting

• According to Todd Suess, acting superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the park is popular among visitors because it has a diverse range of activities that the visitors can do all year round and also because of its proximity from Las Vegas.
• According to data from National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area received 7.5 million recreation visitors in 2019, making it the sixth most-visited national park in the US.

Main Special Attractions and Activities

• Outdoor attractions such as Bootleg Canyon, as well as the River Mountain Loop Trail, attract bikers, hikers, and outdoor lovers.
• Visitors can go boating on lakes Mead and Mohave, and biking on park roads on designated bicycle routes. With running water, restrooms, dump stations, grills, picnic tables, and shade available at the campgrounds, camping is also one of the activities visitors do.

Examples of Large Events

• BBSC Rage Triathlon: with around 1,000 athletes competing in the Rage Triathlon, it is one of Lake Mead's largest triathlons, starring a Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon.
• National Park Week: an annual celebration for people to experience the country's network of cultural, natural, and recreational sites.

Digital and Advertising Campaigns and Type of Platform Used

• In celebration of National Park Week and to promote Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the park launched a new campaign in 2019. The campaign, called 'Take a Look,' was created to invite visitors to 'Take a Look' at Lake Mead. For the campaign, they created a 60-second video and a series of images to showcasing the park's diversity to offer people a different perspective.
• The platforms they used included YouTube, Instagram, and the website of the National Park Service.

Visitor Reviews

• "Awesome place!! A lot of wildlife and water is so soft!" — Abram Kadabrov
• "Beautiful lake; has many trails to hike. Love it. My dog enjoyed it too. Can't wait to go back." — Chelsea Ortiz
• "You don't know how awesome this place is until you are here...many, many things to see and do...fabulous hiking, great kayaking trips, surprisingly amazing road trips through the area, scuba diving, small boat rentals, houseboat rentals, out-of-the-way lodging in beautiful locations, wonderful camping opportunities, food options at marina restaurants or shops around the area, check it out! I came here 13 years ago from Mt. Rainier, just for the job, and I think I have found my home, here at Lake Mead National Recreation Area." — Heidie Grigg

Destination Overview

• The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument became a national monument on September 18, 1996, by Presidential Proclamation 6920 from President Bill Clinton. The Secretary of the Interior is charged with management of the monument through the Bureau of Land Management. On December 4, 2017, the size of the monument was reduced to 1,003,863 acres via Presidential Proclamation 9682.
• The size of the monument was originally 1.7 million acres and is famed for its geological features the Grand Staircase, the Paria Canyon system, White and Vermilion Cliffs, the Kaiparowits Plateau, the East Kaibab Monocline, Circle Cliffs, Waterpocket Fold, the Escalante Natural Bridge, Grosvenor Arch, and the Escalante Canyons. With sites varying in age from between 275 million and 50 million years, this was the last part of the continual United States to be cartographed.
• A major paleontological site, particularly of the late Cretaceous Era, the monument has so far provided specimens of petrified wood, fossils of mammals, lizards, dinosaurs, water mollusks, fishes, turtles, and crocodilians. The monument is also an archaeological site showing evidence of use by Native American cultures such as the Anasazi and Fremont. In more modern times, tribal groups such as the Southern Paiute and Navajo has used the site, which is also valuable for archaeological information relating to the early Mormon settlers.
• The monument has five life zones ranging from coniferous forest to low-lying desert. Characterized by scare water resources, the site is also major biological resource which has seen its ecological values preserved by its sheer remoteness, low visitation, and limited travel corridors.
• The average temperature at the site is 51.6 Fahrenheit, with average precipitation of 1.63 inches and average snowfall of 6.4 inches. Major attractions are the Grand Staircase, Slickrock hiking, Escalante State Park, Calf Creek Falls, and Bryce Canyon.
•  Activities offered at the monument include camping, horseback riding, ATV riding dining fishing, and hiking. The site is served by a variety of accommodation options including RV parks, cabins, ranches, camping and glamping sites, lodges, and the usual hotels and inns.
• The Grand Staircase Escalante Partners has been appointed the official "friends" organization for the monument. Its goals are to increase awareness of the monument, and promote and provide resources on the conservation, education and scientific activities related to it. Some programs offered by the Partners are site stewardship, paleontology, the Escalante River Watershed Partnership, Frontier Science School, Native Plant Restoration, and a Digital Research Library that includes close to 300 interviews from long term residents on the history of southern Utah.

Reviews

• Article reviews of the monument disaggregated into the component parts of Grand Staircase or Escalante National Monument were not found despite searches on popular travel review sites such as Tripadvisor and Expedia, as well as in the mainstream national press and travel magazines, and generally. Instead, the entire park is reviewed as one entity.
•  Roadtrippers magazine published a review of the site on March 25, 2019. The article began with a brief history of the monument before moving on to a description of the entire site and some of its top spots. It ended with a note on the efforts of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners efforts to restore the monument to its previous protected status.
• The Long Canyon Slot in the monument was reviewed by Wanderlust Travel & Photos on April 25, 2018. The article began with an overview of the park in southern Utah before delving into a brief discussion on the monument. Its author provided information on how to get to Long Canyon Slot and a photo gallery for readers.
• Yelp has 20 reviews of the site that focus mainly on the experience of hikers. Visitors ranged from solo hikers, to guided hiking tours in a group. One reviewer mentioned enjoying the experience with her kids. Tripadvisor has 378 reviews of the monument of which 306 awarded an excellent review, 61 a good review, seven an average review, three a poor review, and one a terrible review. Both websites host reviews of the monument from grandparents, solo travelers, couples, and families.

Digital and Advertising Campaigns

• Despite a review of the websites and social media profiles of the Bureau of Land Management and the Utah Office of Tourism, no digital or advertising campaigns were found for the Grand Staircase. Similarly, an image search, as well as a search of a sample of accommodation options and tour companies, did not provide any evidence of digital or advertising campaigns specific to the Grand Staircase or the Escalante National Monument. The website of the Utah Office of Tourism did feature a video of just over two minutes in duration from guide and photographer Ace Kvale exploring the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Utah Office of Tourism also featured a few photographs submitted with the She Travels Utah hashtag on its Twitter profile.

Grand Staircase

• The Grand Staircase monument is a series of plateaus descending from Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon. There are vertical drops at the Chocolate, Grey, Vermilion, White, and Pink Cliffs. From experiencing the archaeological and paleontological exhibits, to exploring the scenery, tourists choose to visit the Grand Staircase for many reasons. While at the monument they can participate in activities ranging from hiking, boating, mountain biking, horseback riding, river rafting, camping, canyoneering, exploring the sites with UTV's and other off-roading vehicles, and sightseeing via guided tours.

• The Grand Staircase is popular with many types of tourists. While the website does not provide statistics on the age ranges of the visitors, the range of activities available indicate that those looking for a demanding physical experience as well as those happier with a more sedentary approach will be welcome. A review of Tripadvisor and Yelp's entries on the location reveals the visitors have ranged from the very young who are sightseeing with parents, to retiree's camping at the RV parks. The site is also very popular with hikers, with trails suitable for all levels of physical readiness. Both websites host reviews of the monument from grandparents, solo travelers, couples, and families.

• The Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival is celebrated at the Grand Staircase park in late June or early July depending on the appearance of the new moon. At the festival there are telescope viewing sessions, programs and workshops on related topics, nightly presentations, and night hikes. The Bryce Canyon Winter Festival took place between 15-17 February 2020. The festival offers ski archery tours and clinics, free snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

Escalante National Monument

• The Escalante National Monument lies along the Escalante River. It traces a path through narrow canyons with major sites being Death Hollow, Calf Creek, Hole in the Rock Road, Hurricane Wash, and Coyote Gulch. Tourists may choose to visit this site because of the hiking and camping experiences offered. Visitors can access an inter-agency Escalante Visitor Information App to get information on accommodation, shopping, supplies and health services.
• The main activities include backpacking in Coyote Gulch, boating in the Escalante River, and driving along the Hole-in-the-Rock Road. The type of tourist enjoying the experience varies depending on the site being accessed. Hiking requires physical readiness and may present difficulties for the mobility impaired, while boating along the Escalante River is an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages.
• Events held in the Escalante National Monument are the Artist in Residence program and the periodical Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Service Project. The Artist-in-Residence program was developed by the Bureau of Land Management to promote awareness of natural and cultural sites in the US. Professional artists are allowed into the parks for six to eight weeks to create art centered on inspiring responsible stewardship of public lands. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance invites volunteers to participate in a two-day project to manage the impact of visitors to the sites at Boulder Mail Train and Spencer Flat.