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Uinta County Tourism Competitive Analysis- 2
Syracuse, Utah, and Morgan, Utah, both share scenic views of Thurston Peak and proximity to Salt Lake City. Morgan, Utah, is a small community with a population of about 11,014 inhabitants, is Utah's smallest county by total area, and is located to the east of the Wasatch Mountains. Syracuse City's website states, "The City of Syracuse is a vibrant Utah community of 30,000 residents who enjoy a high quality of life in a safe, family oriented community. Syracuse is located just north of Salt Lake City and is nestled between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake. The town is known as the Gateway to Antelope Island." Full details on the competitive analysis of tourism in Syracuse City, Utah, and Morgan, Utah are available on the attached spreadsheet.
MORGAN UTAH
- Several attractions exist within two hours drive from Morgan including the City Creek Canyon, Clark Planetarium, Deer Valley Park City, Park City Balloon Adventures, Park City Mountain Resort, Red Butte Garden & Arboretum, the Tracy Aviary, and Utah's Hogle Zoo.
- The Devils Slide located at I84 Northbound in Morgan, UT, is rated 4-stars on a scale of 5 by 16 users. It is a rock formation that attracts several tourists to Morgan.
- East Canyon State Park is located next to Morgan and has a 4.5-star rating on a scale of 5 among eight reviews. The state park is known to have wildlife including bald eagles, hawks, geese, pelicans, and deer. It has accommodation known as the Big Rock Campground and visitors rate it 5-stars based on value.
- Although Morgan is the smallest county in Utah, it located adjacent to an extraordinary summit the Francis Peak Radar Site. The summit is accessible to hikers, bikers, recreational drivers, and automobile drivers after obtaining permits. Camping sites, small ponds, trails, wildlife, and magnificent views are part of this rugged natural setting.
- The main target of Morgan Utah includes business investors, tourists, and people with an interest in nature.
- Several agencies in Morgan use online websites and social media platforms to market the county. Examples include the Chamber of Commerce and Morgan County Planning and Development Services.
- Tourist companies operating in Morgan publish resort images on websites and social media. They also have reviews, ratings, and recommendations on digital platforms like Trip Advisor.
- There are 12 internet providers in Morgan, and 9 of them offer residential services. The internet is accessed through broadband by about 91.6% of the residents of Morgan. We have assumed that this high rate of broadband penetration and the use of mobile is the reason most companies use digital advertisement platforms to reach residents and tourists.
- Screenshots on tourism advertisements that are related to Morgan Utah are available in the attached document.
SYRACUSE CITY, UT
- Syracuse City Utah has 14 hotels within a distance of 5 miles from its center.
- The Syracuse Farmer's Market is open between July and August. It sells fresh produce, trucks of food items, and features live concerts, etc. Syracuse Utah has 14 parks, one museum, and one community center.
- There are six restaurants in Syracuse.
- Syracuse (Antelope Island) has about 300,000 visitors (tourists) per year.
- Screenshot on tourism advertisements related to Syracuse Utah are provided in the attached document.
- The internet is usually available through broadband to about 99.9% of the residents of Syracuse. Most residents of Syracuse have five to six choices of connection for home Internet. Syracuse comes 27th among 247 cities when rated for the most connected city in Utah. Digital ads are used to reach residents of the city and tourists.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
There is no evidence that the amount of annual visitors nor the cities' target demographic for tourists to both Morgan and Syracuse city are available in the public domain. By the location of both to beautiful nature lovers and the Morman Church, it is assumed the cities target nature lovers and people involved with the church. This is consistent with most visitors to Utah.
The research reviewed government publications regarding trade and tourism, as well as travel agency publications. This strategy could not uncover the yearly visits for both Syracuse and Morgan. We also researched road and air traffic statistics to include the percentage of air travelers and road travelers that arrive at both locations yearly. Morgan has a small county airport, however, the information regarding passenger statistics is not made public.
We reviewed maps published by Bing Maps., Bhuvan, and Google Maps, for lists of hotels around Syracuse and Morgan. Research revealed that there are four hotels in Morgan, and a review of the reports section of the maps, did not provide visitor statistics of these hotels. We also reviewed significant landmarks, resorts, and their ratings. There were no insights published on the number of visitors arriving or leaving hotels in Morgan or Syracuse.
The research reviewed traveler information databases such as TripAdvisor, HomeAway, Magic Stay, etc., for the number of hotels and restaurants in Syracuse and Morgan. Trip Advisor published statistics of available hotels, however, most of the hotels are located outside both Morgan and Syracuse. In addition, the number of visitors that stay in camp-like accommodations was researched.