News, No beer for Oktoberfest? Utah board gets tough on liquor permits.

[Vcize]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Please note only ONE of these posters actually lives in UT. Evryone else knows it's z non-issue.

As a Utah resident myself I'm wondering in what world this is a non-issue.

It's funny to me that people think this One Wasatch thing is the big key to bringing more tourism to northern Utah. As a former non-Utah resident I can tell you that the reason Colorado destroys northern Utah in tourism is 100% because of image. Utah has everything Colorado has and more, except the image.

Colorado is the cool, hip, laid back place to vacation. Utah is the strict, stuck up place where, can you even drink alcohol there??

Now when people hear that they almost canceled the beer from Oktoberfest, which is essentially a BEERfest? LMAO, they'll be rolling.

[latino_esq]

Originally Posted by Vcize

As a Utah resident myself I'm wondering in what world this is a non-issue.

It's funny to me that people think this One Wasatch thing is the big key to bringing more tourism to northern Utah. As a former non-Utah resident I can tell you that the reason Colorado destroys northern Utah in tourism is 100% because of image. Utah has everything Colorado has and more, except the image.

Colorado is the cool, hip, laid back place to vacation. Utah is the strict, stuck up place where, can you even drink alcohol there??

Now when people hear that they almost canceled the beer from Oktoberfest, which is essentially a BEERfest? LMAO, they'll be rolling.

Seriously. I'm not familiar with this One Wasatch project you speak of but your post holds a lot of light on an issue that has plagued Utah for as long as I can ever recall (alcohol).
The fact is, Utah tourism indeed is hurt through ongoing non-nonsensical laws on alcohol. When the DABC, or other Utah governing bodies, decide to implement laws that restrict a persons ability to buy alcohol or attempts to lay the axe on events like Octoberfest, they are sending a terrible message to outsiders about the State. The general message in such instances is that Utah is not alcohol/party friendly and intolerant of those that like to drink. A lot of the times, people's stereotypes about the laws in Utah and generalizations about the people within are only furthered through these kinds of things. I can't even count the number of times I've been asked questions about alcohol and Utah. Many of these questions are about laws that have loooong been removed in Utah (such as memberships to bars). Yet, the stereotypes will long live as long as Utah continues to make issue out of alcohol.

I agree that a lot of Colorado's advantages over Utah tourism has to do with alcohol. People that don't know much about either state will generally base their decisions on what they've heard from others and read. People that hear these stories of Utah, about issues like Octoberfest, would rather not deal with the uncertainties of Utah's laws and alcohol even though Utah lawmakers have corrected the issue. SLC is closer to the outdoors than Denver but is far behind in nightlife. I would like to say that SLC would be on even par with Denver if the nightlife were somewhat similar (though I think Denver would still have more pros), but at the very least I can say that the tourism would jump through the roof if that were the case.

Changes to the overall approach to Utah and alcohol will never go anywhere with thoughtless commentary of some people (I dare not specify who as my comment may get deleted, again) who turn a blind eye to these real issues.

[kavm]

I think point Vcize makes goes beyond simply alcohol and there is a broader image issue.

- To start with alcohol, the legal situation is restrictive, bizarre (e.g. the Zion curtain) and well outside the norm in the USA, let alone all the Western countries. That is further accentuated by near rabid enforcement - requiring proof of age for person above 50 to be served a glass of wine in a restaurant.

- Then there are the preconceptions, misconceptions as well as reality about LDS. This is evidenced by so many threads on friendliness or lack thereof and whether it is OK to live in certain parts of the state. I find that a lot of the preconceptions most unfortunate and undeserved, but it is hard to deny it. And, some of it is not without basis. The correlation between the religious beliefs and the alcohol laws and other intolerant positions like the opposition to same-sex marriage is hard to miss. I am sure the hard line on dissent (e.g. the recent action against Ordain Women) does provide confirmatory evidence and support for existing preconceptions about the state and its people.

So, a lot of that does have an effect on the tourism. Given the dominant politics of this state, I do not see much improvement on these things any time soon. If there is progress, it will be not be because it is the right thing to do but because it negatively impacts the business interests. So, may be - the negative impact on tourism will drive some of the positive change on these dimensions.