SWEETWATER COUNTY – It was a busy summer in Sweetwater County, with three times the number of visitors coming to the county than in 2021 and 2022. People who came to the county also enjoyed their visit, according to Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism.
“Tourism has been absolutely thriving in Rock Springs and Green River this summer and over the past year,”Jenissa Meredith, CEO of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism said. “We saw triple the number of visitors coming through our visitor center than we saw in 2021 and 2022 and they were loving their experiences in the area.”
The visitors centers in Rock Springs and Green River reported the same increased rate of traffic. According to a press release from Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism, studies show on average visitors to welcome centers spend 68% more on their entire trip in the state than other types of visitors.
Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism provides funding to almost 40 events a year. Summer event organizers, representing everything from the state soccer tournament and local rodeos to Wyoming’s Big Show and the River Festival, reported successful events and positive reviews from visitors, according to the release.
One of the biggest events in Sweetwater County over the summer was the International Airstream Rally at the Sweetwater Events Complex in June. The event included more than 1,100 units and had an economic impact of $2.2 million. Local businesses and organizations came together to welcome rally attendees to Sweetwater County and ensure that the event went well.
Another highlight for many tourists in Sweetwater County was the Flaming Gorge Bus Tour. In total, more than 500 passengers enjoyed the Flaming Gorge Bus Tour over the summer, with passengers writing five-star reviews online of their experience.
“I am incredibly proud of our team, both in the office and on the bus, for bringing this tour to life in such a high quality and enjoyable way,” Meredith said.
Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism also hosted several international and domestic travel writers recently and worked to focus on economic development. These efforts generated coverage and editorial features in Thrillist, Matador Network, KUTV2 News Road Trippin’ Show, the Denver Post, and Business in Focus Magazine.
