And while the figures indicate more growth for the county's tourism industry, Beck said the state and the bureau are avidly recruiting more visitors. The county was recently chosen as the host for the 2007 International Rotary Convention, an event Beck said will rival the Olympics in terms of activity and visitors to downtown Salt Lake.

The city competed against places like Washington, D.C., and Cairo, Egypt, to host the global event.

"These were world-class destinations that we were up against," Beck said. "All of the buzz that's being created about Salt Lake being able to host the Olympics went a long way to show that we can host an international event."

Beck added that the state's efforts to ramp up tourism with a state logo will also bring more attention to the county.

"It's hard to tell people to come to Salt Lake until they know where Utah is. The more that Utah is a perceived destination for tourism, the better that translates to all the counties," he said.

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com