SWEETWATER COUNTY – Helping attract events and keep events going while managing the lodging tax has been the job of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism. Recently the group presented its 2014 annual report.
The group has been giving this report since 2008. They have a board made up of representatives, not only from Rock Springs, Green River and the county, but also from the smaller communities such as Superior and Wamsutter.
The group is responsible for providing grants using the Lodging Tax funds to events that attract people from all over the region. This year, the voters approved a one-percent increase in the tax by around an 80 percent approval rating. Director of Sweetwater Travel and Tourism Jenissa Bartlett explained the tax has been coming in pretty consistently at $625,000 the past several years.
The group also tracks occupancy rates at local hotels and who is staying in the local hotels. Bartlett said 65 percent of room usage is due to local workforce while 25 percent is from the leisure market. Bartlett also said the average room rate went over $100 in July of 2014.
Funds generated by the tax could top $1 million to the county and the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board in 2015. The increase is due to the tax increasing to three percent and the room rates going over $100.
Grants have gone to support several local events from hockey tournaments to the recent Crystal Classic in Green River. Bartlett reported the Travel and Tourism Board gave grants to 32 events in 2014.
Another upcoming change for Travel in Tourism is the marketing message. For the past several years, it has played off people stopping in Rock Springs to fill up for gas on their way to different destinations. The message invited tourists to stop and fill up with everything Sweetwater County has to offer. The new message will invite tourists to create their own adventure with all the things the county offers.
Bartlett said they have tested the new message, and results showed it is a strong message and should attract more tourists to Sweetwater County.
Other tools used by Travel and Tourism are a monthly newsletter, Facebook page, and website. This year, Bartlett said Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism was also able to update current images with new photos of sites and locations in Sweetwater County.
Through the website, the agency received approximately 37,000 requests for information. Bartlett said of those, they surveyed 621. Of those surveyed, 18 percent visited Sweetwater County. She added the number of family members averaged out to be a little over two people and the average amount of time spent by visitors in Sweetwater County averaged right around three days.
Bartlett explained the greatest assets continue to be the National Parks and Sweetwater County has many tourists stop on their way to Yellowstone and other landmarks. The board also works with officials at the Flaming Gorge on both the Utah side and in Wyoming. The goal continues to be to get these tourists to stop and spend time in Sweetwater County before continuing to their destination. Overall, tourism is important to the state and local economies. Tourists spent approximately $183 million dollars in Wyoming, which supports over 1,500 jobs locally.
The organization will also be adding a new member to the team this year. Bartlett explained they would be hiring a marketing person to help with attracting more events. Bartlett said the addition will allow the agency to become more aggressive in not only attracting different events but also on promoting Sweetwater County.
