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Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism reports nearly $1.5 million in lodging tax, $86 million in visitor spending influenced
Summary
Travel and Tourism CEO Janessa Meredith told commissioners the local lodging tax collected almost $1.5 million in the last fiscal year and that marketing influenced nearly $86 million in visitor spending; a feasibility study on an indoor sports facility is due in April.
Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism reported to the board on Feb. 4 that the local lodging tax for the most recent fiscal year approached $1.5 million and that the organizationused most of that revenue for marketing and event recruitment.
Janessa Meredith, CEO of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism, said the lodging tax is a 4% tax and is split with 2% statewide and 2% local. "This last fiscal year, it collected almost $1,500,000," Meredith said. She described the local spending plan: about 79% of the board-approved budget goes to marketing (required by state statute), 7% to event grants, 3% to chambers that operate visitor centers, 3% to the Sweetwater County Events Complex and 8% for administration.
Meredith said the organization commissions annual advertising-effectiveness studies. The most recent conversion study concluded the county's advertising "influenced almost $86,000,000 in visitor spending." The study also estimated the county receives more than $160,000,000 in total annual visitor spending; visitors stayed a mean 3.3 days and parties spent an average of more than $1,500 per trip.
She highlighted product-development projects and grant awards: a feasibility study for an indoor sports facility is expected in April; phase 1 of Rock Springs wayfinding signage installation has begun; and Sweetwater County secured $100,000 from the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation to build a Henry's Fork interpretive turnout and trail on the Flaming Gorge byway in partnership with Ashley National Forest.
Meredith noted outreach and recognition programs including a certified tourism ambassador training (about 150 people certified), awards for customer service, and new media coverage such as a Cowboys & Indians feature. Meredith said marketing returned roughly $745 to the local economy for every $1 spent on tourism marketing in the study's calculation.
Commissioners thanked Meredith for the update and asked about the indoor sports study timeline; Meredith said the final feasibility report should be ready in late April or early May.
The presentation was informational; commissioners did not take action at the meeting on funding beyond noting the lodging-tax spending plan already in place.
