SALT LAKE CITY — Dwaine Elder has given rides to people from Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Elder works as an Uber driver around Salt Lake City.
“They’re just at the various hotels downtown,” Elder said of his foreign customers. “They’re going to [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’] Family Search – things like that.”
Workers like Elder have a foot—or tire—in Utah’s tourism economy. Foreigners are big contributors to that sector. There's signs they are becoming less so.
In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded a decline in the number of passengers arriving on foreign flights to Salt Lake City International Airport compared to that same month in 2024. The dip was slight but stood out against what had been a steady rise in the number of foreign arrivals.
The data is consistent with other statistics showing a decrease in people and goods passing through U.S. ports of entry since President Donald Trump began his second term. His early days back in office have been marked by deportations, tariffs and threats to seize allies like Canada and Greenland.
Foreign tourists contributed $873 million to Utah in 2023, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. That was about $1 in every $10 spent on tourism in Utah.
“And that money supports jobs in Utah and also produces tax revenue for Utah residents,” said Jennifer Leaver, a senior tourism analyst at the Gardner Policy Institute.
Leaver said the biggest foreign tourist market is from Canadian visitors.
Utah has spent decades marketing itself as an outdoor destination. There have been campaigns promoting ski resorts and sightseeing in state or national parks. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also attracts visitors to Utah.
Leaver hopes those assets keep visitors flowing to Utah. She said factors like exchange rates and the strength of global economy influence foreign travel decisions, and that tourists also consider the stability of the place they are considering visiting.
“I have seen forecasts that predict a stronger domestic market this year,” Leaver said, “more Americans staying in the U.S., traveling in the U.S.”
Elder said he liked the idea of the Olympics returning to Salt Lake City in 2034, and maybe bringing foreigner visitors with it.
He raised an eyebrow when he heard how much money foreigners have contributed to Utah.
“That’s a lot of money, yeah,” he said.