By Kari Eakins – 5 Feb ’15
A record 10.1 million people visited Wyoming in 2014 according to the Wyoming Office of Tourism. That’s an 11% increase from 2013 and the highest percentage growth year over year since tracking began in 1998.
“We were confident that 2014 was going to be a banner year for Wyoming’s travel economy,” The Wyoming Office of Tourism‘s Executive Director, Diane Shober said. “We know that great creative coupled with targeted spending will generate more visitors. We had laid the groundwork of a strategically focused marketing campaign as did local lodging tax boards and many tourism related businesses.
“Visitation at our iconic national parks and national monuments were at all-time high and local events and festivals also enjoyed robust attendance throughout the summer. Each month we saw increases in tax collections from important industry sectors like accommodations and food and beverage. We are grateful to have the resources available to help drive these tremendous results,” Shober added.
The increase in visitors meant an increase in spending. Two reports prepared for the tourism office show that travel spending grew to $3.3 billion in 2014 and Schober is confident the good news will continue in 2015, “With the significant reduction of gas prices, we believe more people will be willing to travel this year. We just have to make sure that Wyoming is their destination of choice. Since our research shows that 75% of visitors drive to Wyoming, the lower gas prices add to our confidence that 2015 will yield even more visitors and generated revenue for the state.”