Tourism Numbers in Wyoming Soar to Record Levels in 2014

Contact: Chris Mickey, Media and PR Manager
PH: 307.777.2831
chris.mickey@wyo.gov   

Tourism Numbers in Wyoming Soar to Record Levels in 2014

Wyoming's tourism economy saw another year of tremendous growth in 2014. A preliminary assessment of Wyoming's travel and tourism impact shows that a record 10.1 million people visited the state in 2014. That number is up 11% from 2013 when Wyoming had a total of 9.07 million visitors and is the highest percentage growth year over year since tracking began in 1998. This follows several years of consistently strong growth. The last decade of tourism marketing has resulted in a 45% increase of visitation to the state.

Two separate reports prepared for the Wyoming Office of Tourism by Dean Runyan & Associates and Strategic Marketing and Research Inc. indicate that not only did the volume of visitors rise in 2014, but the amount of money visitors spent on their trips also increased.  According to the reports, travel spending in the state grew to over $3.3 billion in 2014. This number is up from a record year in 2013 of $3.2 billion.

This visitor spending fuels Wyoming's economy by generating $159 million in local and state tax revenues, up 10.8% in 2014 compared to $144 million in 2013. Since 2004, tax revenues generated by the tourism and hospitality industry are up 85%.

"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.

In 2015, the Wyoming Office of Tourism (WOT) will add the city of Seattle to their list of target markets such as Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver and Salt Lake City that will be reached through a fully integrated marketing campaign consisting of magazine, TV, billboard and digital media ads. "We have deployed a very tactical, research-based marketing strategy that contains elements of traditional advertising and public relations. Social media along with an ever growing digital presence is helping to contribute to the rise of Wyoming's tourism economy," Shober said.

"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," Shober added.

The hospitality and tourism industry is responsible for over 31,000 full and part time jobs in Wyoming.  In 2014, 490 jobs were created within the industry and over the past 10 years employment has risen 11%. "Seeing a rise in jobs created in this industry is extremely important. Not only does this help provide the best experience possible to visitors, but it adds to Wyoming's overall economy which benefits everyone," Shober said.

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Wyoming will always be Forever West