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An undated photo of Historic 25th Street in Ogden.

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Visit Ogden promotional imagery.

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OGDEN — On Tuesday, Visit Ogden president and CEO Sara Toliver presented her organization’s annual report for 2024, as well as its 2025 strategic plan, during the Weber County Commission’s weekly meeting.

And while the post-pandemic travel boom has dissipated across the country, the economic impact of visitors to the Ogden area continues to grow.

“What we’ve been able to see in 2024 is that we’re following the same curve, basically, as we had in 2023, which we think is phenomenal because the country really has started to see a slowing,” Toliver told the Standard-Examiner.

Through September, when Visit Ogden’ latest annual report was completed, year-to-date tourism tax collections were approaching $7 million and on pace for a year-over-year increase from 2023.

Meanwhile, visitors spent more than $489 million in Weber County over the previous year, per the most recent county profile study from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. And the total visitor-generated tax revenue in the county during the same period approached $73 million.

“Every single resident in Weber County would have to spend an additional $1,800 approximately to equal what visitors spend when they come to our community,” Toliver said.

According to Visit Ogden’s report, 30.2% of visitors came from the Salt Lake City area. The other markets rounding out the top five were Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Denver, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

While some tourism slowing is expected locally, Visit Ogden has identified four areas of focus — economic impact, destination stewardship, advocacy and team development — in determining goals to keep the momentum going in 2025 and beyond.

More specifically (and in keeping with previous years and during 2024), events and group business will be top priorities.

“That really is still kind of one of the bread and butter, so to speak, pieces of what we do,” Toliver said. “Whether that’s meetings and conventions at the conference center or any of our privately held venues, or youth sports, especially post-pandemic. That’s been a really significant piece of our business.”

In recent years, events like the Triple Crown Fastpitch World Series and Best of the West Finale have brought visitors and revenue to the local community. A 10-year contract extension with Triple Crown was touted on Tuesday. A number of other baseball and softball tournaments will be held in Weber County as well.

Event opportunities at the upgraded Ogden Eccles Conference Center and Peery’s Egyptian Theater are also an important part of Visit Ogden’s strategic plan.

However, Toliver said her group weighs the pros and cons with every group or event that might be hosted in Weber County.

“There are decisions we’ve made to try to kind of do that balance, as best we can, between economic impact and quality of life,” she said.

Another major factor in Visit Ogden’s future plans is the return of the Winter Olympics to Utah in 2034.

“We’re not just hosting the Olympics in 10 years, right?” Toliver said. “There are all of these things we need. Not only work we need to do but events we need to host and opportunities we need to take advantage of over the next 10 years so that we are ready to host the world when they come. So, that’s going to be a big focus for us in 2025 and, really, over the next 10 years.”

Along the way, the group will continue to do what it can to maximize Ogden’s unique aspects, including its proximity to world-class ski resorts, hiking opportunities and the great outdoors in general.

“We’re a really unique mountain town to have an urban area like Ogden be our epicenter and yet have access to all this incredible outdoor recreation,” Toliver said. “I mean, it’s a pretty special place to be.”

Visit Ogden’s full 2024 annual report and strategic plan for 2025 can be viewed online at https://www.visitogden.com/who-we-are/plans/.