Until his death in December, Bob Syrett welcomed visitors from around the globe to Ruby's Inn, which his family has run for three generations on the outskirts of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Rick Davis ran the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s, an era of expansion that culminated with the city hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The trio will be honored for helping to shape the outside world's perspective of the state on Wednesday when the three-day Utah Tourism Conference concludes at Salt Lake City's Hilton hotel. They will be inducted into the Utah Tourism Hall of Fame at a midday luncheon that also will feature remarks by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., considered a consistent supporter by the tourism industry.

Wednesday's conference finale includes a 9:30 a.m. speech by Roger Dow, the Travel Industry Association's president and chief executive. He will talk about the power of travel, which amounts to a $740 billion industry annually in the United States alone.

Dow's talk will conclude two days of meetings and workshops aimed at giving representatives of regional tourism councils and members of the private sector new information about creating authentic experiences for visitors, using Utah products first, generational marketing, increased demands for the use of public lands, tech trends in travel and promoting green tourism.

The conference kicks off at 10:30 a.m. today with a discussion of Utah's Scenic Byways. A national overview of the program will be provided by Bonnie Hundrieser, of the National Scenic Byways Center in Duluth, Minn.

After a midday meeting between state tourism officials and representatives of destination marketing organizations, which include convention bureaus and county tourism offices, the state Board of Tourism Development will convene its monthly meeting. The 4 p.m. session includes a report by Denise Miller, of Strategic Marketing & Research Inc., on the advertising effectiveness of the state's winter and summer campaigns.

mikeg@sltrib.com

Selling the beauty of Utah to the world

* What: 5th annual Utah Tourism Conference.

* When: Today through Wednesday

* Where: Hilton Salt Lake City Center, 255 S. West Temple

* Featured Speaker: Roger Dow, Travel Industry Association president.