ST. GEORGE — The impact of tourism on the residents of Springdale, the gateway to Zion National Park, was recently studied by Utah Tech students who recently presented their findings to the community.
Utah Tech students presented their research on how tourism impacts Springdale residents.Springdale, Utah, April 2024 | Photo by Laney Anderson, St. George News
“We investigated how tourism impacts the lives of people who choose to call popular tourist destinations home,” said Erin Ortiz, associate professor of communication at Utah Tech University. -Told George News.
Ortiz said he was concerned about the impact on quality of life due to the large number of tourists visiting the area. So town leaders collaborated with communication students and Utah Tech’s City Alliance program. The timeline for the study was from Fall 2023 to Spring 2024.
City Alliance is a partnership between Utah Tech and cities in southern Utah, according to information posted on the university’s website. A new partner city will be selected each year and will continue from 2021 to 2025.
Students participate in the City Alliance program each year, providing learning opportunities while completing projects required by their chosen city. Ortiz said she and her communications students worked with Springdale mentors and Utah Tech’s community-engaged learning director Erin O’Brien to assess areas of interest for residents living in the foothills of Zion National Park. He said he met with
“Town residents have filled out a number of surveys in the past saying, ‘We really struggle with tourism and the impact it has on our quality of life,'” Ortiz said. “In the survey, some people pointed out things like “It’s difficult to turn left on State Route 9.”
The main areas investigated in the student research were:
Passing vehicles Pedestrian traffic Noise level Restaurant wait time
Town officials asked students to visit Springdale and gather objective, unbiased data.
Traffic and safety concerns prompt Springdale to widen sidewalks, Springdale, Utah, date not specified | Photo by Robert George, St. George News
For example, students used the phone app Decibel X to measure noise pollution. Tom Dancy, Springdale’s community development director, provided students with a map of Springdale divided into different zones, including the Zion National Park entrance area, commercial areas, and residential areas.
Ortiz said the students measured noise pollution in each zone. To collect data, they used clicker counters to count the number of cars passing by and the number of people walking.
To collect data on restaurant wait times, students called restaurants with different numbers of people at different times on weekdays and weekends.
“So if a resident wants to go to a restaurant during busy hours at night, how long (on average) will they have to wait?” Ortiz said.
Data-based insights highlighted the need for more frequent data collection in rural areas, as well as the importance of community input and active learning, Ortiz said. This data could potentially be used to implement the necessary changes.
“Students also examined data collected from Utah’s gateway and non-gateway towns to see what the implications are for community members, those in jobs with high contact with tourists, and those who do not. We made sure we had the resources,” Ortiz said.
For example, this study examined the impact of tourism on towns like Springdale, which has a police department, and Apple Valley, which does not have a police department. Ortiz added that he has reached out to other towns to talk but has not heard back.
Visitors entering Zion National Park at the south entrance in Springdale, Utah, date not specified | Photo by National Park Service, St. George News
Utah Tech student Laney Anderson told St. George News she enjoyed learning about Springdale’s close-knit community, artistic atmosphere and small businesses.
“I think the biggest surprise for me was the number of local businesses in Springdale. I’m not from southern Utah,” Anderson said. “My experience in other tourist destinations is that tourist shops are run by large corporations. In our research, we found many B&B businesses as well as local businesses such as mother and baby stores. So I thought that was really interesting.”
Anderson added that she was surprised that many of the people who work in Springdale don’t live there.
“It’s a pretty tough commute for a lot of people who work there,” Anderson said.
She also found that many older people have lived in Springdale for many years and that the town’s different cultures can sometimes clash when it comes to tourism and residents’ needs.
“What we wanted to impress the town leaders with was their messaging strategy,” Anderson said.
She said it’s important for town leaders to remind residents that they are valued and that they are living there full-time. Although tourists are essential, they will always visit and will not be there permanently. Anderson suggested the town consider offering a resident discount card and developing a text message system to help residents more easily decipher restaurant wait times.
Anderson said the study was recognized because despite the diversity of viewpoints in the community, most residents gave positive feedback to the students and the students had nothing to gain from the findings. He added that he appreciated the objectivity.
“We’re just doing it because we want to learn more about the impact of tourism on our gateway cities,” Anderson said.
The City Alliance program will partner with LaVerkin City for its next evaluation.
Copyright Saint George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, All Rights Reserved.
Stephanie DeGraw is an award-winning journalist. She worked in journalism, broadcasting and public relations for her 25 years. DeGraw worked at the Salt Lake Tribune, Associated Press and City Journal. She was a reporter for her CBS television station in Twin Falls, Idaho. She graduated from Weber State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcasting.
