Did you know that tourism is the 3rd largest industry in the state of Idaho?
The Idaho Conference on Recreation and Tourism, or ICORT for short, is happening in Idaho Falls for the first time ever this week to highlight the power of tourism as a whole in the Gem State, and what Idaho brings to the rest of the country, as well as the world.
“We want people to come visit and then explore and then go back and tell their friends and family about the great experiences they had and have them come visit,” said Natalie Jushinski in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
Jushinski is the tourism manager for Visit Idaho. She says the purpose of the conference is to educate people about tourism in Idaho, among other things.
“This is our premiere tourism event,” Jushinski said. “It’s really designed for marketing organizations like Visit Idaho and tourism related businesses like hotels, museums and other attractions. It provides opportunities for education and networking, and to recognize some of the people that are driving tourism in the state.”
Idaho has had millions of visitors come in recent years. Jushinski hopes people can continue to visit this “undiscovered” state.
“In 2023, Idaho welcomed close to 13 million visitors,” Jushinski said. “Idaho is still a bit of an undiscovered destination for vacation. A lot of people don’t really realize all the amazing things that we have here.”
Idaho has something for everyone, at any time of the year, she said.
“I think there’s a lot of different things for a lot of different people to enjoy, not just in our beautiful summer and fall months, but in the winter as well,” Jushinski said. “People are really discovering that we are a year-round destination.”
The ICORT conference began today and will continue with various sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 21-22.
For more information about the conference and tourism in Idaho click here.