Salt Lake City, through convention and visitors organization Visit Salt Lake, has adopted “America's Mountain City” as a promotional campaign moniker heading into the 2034 Olympics. (Courtesy Visit Salt Lake)
Visit Salt Lake, the private nonprofit tasked with promoting the Salt Lake City area to leisure travelers, meeting professionals and convention attendees, has laid claim to the moniker “America's Mountain City” as it looks forward to hosting the Olympic Winter Games in 2034.
“Salt Lake, Utah, remains the only city in America where a world-class urban core exists inside a mountain range, allowing visitors to enjoy the city and the mountain in one experience,” the agency said in its release announcing the rebranding. Visit Salt Lake touts the skyline-to-mountain-range concept in its campaign, launched earlier this month.
This latest platform brings Salt Lake into the spotlight as a premier year-round destination, highlighting the versatility of experiences and its accessibility to the Wasatch Mountain Range with a 40-minute drive from downtown Salt Lake, according to the campaign. “Additionally, America's Mountain City showcases the easygoing lifestyle one can experience in the destination, while touching on new additions on the food and hospitality front as Salt Lake heads towards the 2034 Winter Games,” the copy reads.
“Salt Lake is proudly claiming our title as America's Mountain City because no other destination offers a world-class urban experience and a mountainous playground that is so effortlessly combined,” said Kaitlin Eskelson, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake. “From our rich cultural roots and booming culinary scene to our growing status as a premier global sports hub heading into the 2034 Winter Games, Salt Lake provides an unmatched, ‘one-stop shop’ lifestyle. We've removed the friction from travel so visitors can come experience the summit and the city, seamlessly, on the exact same day.”
“Salt Lake is the only place where it's hard to tell where the city ends and the mountains begin,” campaign literature continues. “Here, visitors don't have to choose between a day on the slopes or cultural explorations in the city; they can travel from a mountain summit to a world-class restaurant or professional sporting event in under an hour. It is a destination where both experiences can be enjoyed seamlessly in the same day.”
Visit Salt Lake said its campaign builds on the momentum as a world-class sports destination created by the recent addition of the NHL's Utah Mammoth to the professional sports scene. The convenience of the Salt Lake International Airport to canyons and city add to the “frictionless” ability to enjoy the area's attractions. It also cites the city's rich history and culture. “Salt Lake is full of hidden gems such as charming neighborhoods, local artists and musicians, as well as elite athletes that live and train in Salt Lake year-round due to the unmatched access to the outdoors,” the agency said.
Inspiration for the new slogan follows a reporter's story for Fodor's travel website titled “Sorry Denver, This Is America's Best Mountain City.”
Other cities have staked claim to dramatic titles, such as Sacramento's “America's Farm-to-Fork Capital” or Austin's “Live Music Capital of the World.”