Visitor Perceptions

• This is The Place Heritage Park has received 4.5 star rating on TripAdvisor with 455 reviews. On Yelp, the park has received a rating of 4 stars with 47 reviews.
• The reviewers on both TripAdvisor and Yelp describe This is The Place Heritage Park as an important heritage park and museum with a wealth of history about Mormons. Visitors also highlight pony rides and gold panning as exciting activities at the park.
• On TripAdvisor, 55% of the total reviews are excellent and 31% are very good.

Target Visitors

• As a heritage and historical site, This is The Place Heritage Park houses The Native Village and The Heritage Village depicting the lives of the pioneers and Native Americans. It targets families, children, seniors, and schools (elementary and junior high school).
• The park targets couples seeking a wedding venue and it has 10 spaces for wedding receptions. This is The Place Heritage Park is rated 4.7/5.0 by couples who held their wedding receptions at this facility and it has received badges for couple's choice for four consecutive years.
• The park targets children and the mini-train is specifically designed for children visiting the park. Similarly, the pony rides and fountain pad are some main stopping points for visiting children.
• The annual membership program targets families and it is tiered to cover adults and children. It grants members free admission as well as discounts on visits. In addition, they get unlimited pony and mini-train rides for children which indicates children are key target visitors.
• According to the price schedule on the park's website, seniors and children are charged the lowest fees on the facility.

Special Attractions

• In the Native American Village, visitors get a chance to experience authentic Shoshone and Navajo dwellings, watch performance of traditional native dances, and listen to stories. Similarly, visitors participate in sand/arrowhead painting and learn how woven rugs are made by the Navajo.
• In the Heritage Village, visitors can explore various buildings including barns, farmhouses, saddleries, chapels, blacksmith shops, and stables depicting the practices of the pioneers. Here, guests can ask questions as they watch blacksmiths, spinsters, leather workers, and woodworkers make various items.
• The Mormon Battalion Museum has the "iconic Monument that was erected under the supervision of a committee" comprising Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Later-Day Saint, and Jewish representatives. It also honors leaders and various religious groups that made huge contributions to religious diversity in the Utah community.
• The Baby Animal Season is held every spring at the park and visitors get a chance to interact with tiny bunnies and fluffy chicks. At the Petting Coral, visitors "can pet little lambs and goats" and watch them eat and play.

Digital Marketing Tactics

• Digital platforms used by This is The Place Heritage Park include its website and social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and YouTube.
• The park has a listing on the Utah Department of Natural Resources State Parks' website and the page has a descriptive story about the heritage park, a link to its website, and pictures at the top. It also appears on Visit Salt Lake and Utah.com.
• This is The Place Heritage Park posts regularly on Facebook and shared a recent video on 8th January 2020 which has received over 12,000 views. In another Facebook post about candlelit Christmas, it got almost 100 likes. While its posts across the social media channels are identical, Instagram shows a consistent trend of higher engagement levels with most posts getting over 150 likes. On YouTube, there's only one video published in the last two years and it is about baby animal season.
• The park has over 21,000 followers on Facebook, over 14,500 on Instagram, 2,744 on Twitter and 34 subscribers on YouTube. It also has profiles on Yelp and TripAdisor.

Research Strategy