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SALT LAKE CITY — It's no secret that Utah's tourism industry is huge. Each year, it generates more than $6 billion for our economy, and things are already looking bright in 2012.
In the first three months, visitation to Utah's five national parks was up 14 percent over last year. This comes just as the state begins its spring and summer advertising blitz. It's going to spend $2.2 million on the campaign, one aspect of which started Thursday: a very clever ad.
The Utah Office of Tourism just released YouTube video that's going viral, showing Utah's Delicate Arch in an amazing 3D tunnel display that can only be seen from one perspective. It has the people who see it gawking with their mouths open, staring, pulling out their cell phones and taking photos.
"San Francisco is a new market for us," said Dave Williams, Deputy Director of UOT, which worked with the Struck creative agency of Salt Lake City to come up with the 3D optical illusion tunnel wrap.
"It's the ceiling, the floor, (and) the walls (that have) beams, and all the beams line up and when you stand at the beginning of the tunnel, all the beams line up and it looks like Delicate Arch," Williams said.
It's located at the Montgomery & Market Street BART transit station in the heart of San Francisco's financial district. The 3D mural, about 104 feet long, will stay in place for two months, and be seen by thousands of Bay area commuters.
"Research shows that we have a lot of interest from that part of California. People like outdoor adventure there, and we offer some unique scenery that they don't have," Williams said.
The tunnel and the video are part of the $2.2 million ad campaign to show off all five of Utah's National Parks. The state is promoting Utah's "Life Elevated" brand in several markets, including Denver, Portland, Phoenix, L.A. and Vegas.
The tunnel wrap took some doing. First, taking photos of the actual arch, getting exact measurements of the tunnel, rendering computer images, printing and then installing.
The "wow" factor seems to be working.
"And then as you walk underneath the beams you're looking up and you feel like you're walking through the arch, it's pretty clever," Williams said. "People were saying, ‘Wow the floor, I almost have to be careful walking along, it looks so real.'"
Inside the tunnel, there are images of Utah's other parks, and "QR" codes that you can click with your cell phone to get more information.
