PROVO — From Sundance to Rock Canyon, Thanksgiving Point to Nebo Loop, Utah County has a wide array of attractions for residents and visitors.

The Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau's annual passport will once again strive to get people out and active in Utah County. For the past several years, the passport has showcased all the things to do in Utah County. This year's, however, will be a bit different.

"Instead of having the piece focus on everything to do, we're going to identify top 10 things to do," said Joel Racker, executive director of the UVCVB.

He said there will be secondary pages that have other things to do with a specific place. If one of the top 10 choices this year is horseback riding at Sundance, the secondary page will feature all the different things to do there, including the restaurants, shops and other activities, Racker said.

"We're trying to do that so next year we can highlight another 10 things, so we can sustain the thing long term," he said.

The passport is mainly targeted to Utah County residents, so they know the different sites and places to visit in their home county and what to suggest to visitors. The convention and visitors bureau recently performed market research that showed that 70 to 80 percent of people who come to Utah Valley rely on locals to tell them where to go, Racker said. That same research revealed that fewer than 20 to 30 percent of Utah County residents would recommend Utah Valley to friends or family, he said.

"Everybody coming is relying on the locals, but the locals aren't thinking about what there is to do in the valley," he said. "We see it (the passport) as a tourism piece, to influence the locals to be the best ambassadors."

Passports are sent out to Utah County residents and include coupons from everything to money off a hotel room to discounts at Thanksgiving Point. Businesses that have participated in the passport have seen it influence their visitation.

Thanksgiving Point has had success with the passport coupons it offers, said Erica Brown, director of communications for Thanksgiving Point, and they attract "the tourist in our own backyard." Although the coupons are redeemed, whether those that attend are in county or out-of-county tourists can't be determined.

The bureau and Thanksgiving Point work closely together to encourage people to enjoy the county.

"They've been a great partner," she said.

Racker also said the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University had a coupon last year for a print at the museum's gift shop, which 4,000 people redeemed.

Because the MOA doesn't charge for entrance, people can walk freely through the building, making it difficult for the museum to pinpoint visitation, especially in relation to the redeemed coupons, said Chris Wilson, media relations specialist for the MOA. However, Wilson said he believed that the coupon in the passport was successful.

"I think it brought in a number of people who hadn't been to the museum," he said.

The passports, which have room for about 32 to 35 coupons, will be mailed out the first few weeks of June. Utah County residents who don't receive one or residents from other counties can request the passport free of charge by contacting the UVCVB at 851-2100.

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E-mail: csmith@desnews.com