Wyoming tourism office reports long-term growth, unveils renovated welcome centers as director prepares to depart

Diane Schober, executive director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism, told the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee that the visitor economy has grown substantially during her tenure and that the office's marketing produces measurable returns. "For every dollar that the office of tourism spent on a marketing campaign or that the state invested in creating an awareness, we are at 2024, a return for every dollar spent on marketing, $11.61 returned in sales and use tax revenue," Schober said.

The agency told lawmakers that leisure and hospitality GDP rose from about $1.3 billion in 2004 to a 37% higher figure by 2024, direct travel spending has increased roughly 2.4 times, tax revenue tied to travel has grown about 3.2 times, and employment and direct earnings have also climbed. Schober and staff emphasized a distinction between baseline visitation and "incremental trips" that marketing is measured to generate; the office reported incremental trips were up roughly 600% over 20 years and that tax revenue attributable to those trips has grown faster than the baseline.

Kari Akins, director of strategy and business operations, outlined a recent welcome-center renovation program funded from the Tourism Reserve and Projects account. "We had $1,500,000 appropriated for the renovation of our two welcome centers and the Fort Quebecois (Quebec) State Historic Site," Akins said, noting the Quebec site work finished in 2024 and the two interstate welcome centers were refreshed in 2025. Changes include larger images and redesigned interpretive panels, added video content, countertop kiosks integrated with the agency's trip-planner and partner listings, and a new audio element in the teepee exhibit produced with the Wind River Visitors Council.

James Schoon, director of global partnerships, described three partner programs that channel state support into local planning and product development: (1) Wyoming Best, which helps lodging-tax boards and communities develop strategic plans; (2) a destination-development grant program that awards funding tied to those plans; and (3) trade familiarization ("fams") that bring tour operators and travel sellers to Wyoming. Schoon said the consortium that markets the region internationally (the Great American West) continued to perform for Wyoming in 2025, with higher estimated visitor spend and room nights despite a dip in the number of tour operators.

Marketing director Michelle Howard summarized the 2025 national campaign and media strategy, reporting higher engagement and video performance and extensive earned-media placements. The office cited third-party ad-effectiveness studies that indicate the campaign increases survey respondents' likelihood to visit by about 28% compared with unaware consumers.

Committee members asked how the office plans to use emerging tools and whether more welcome centers are warranted. Kari Akins said the agency will launch an integrated chatbot trip-planning tool (MindTrip) on the tourism website next week to build itineraries from videos and images. Schober praised staff and legislators for their investments and formally introduced Dominic Bravo as the agency's incoming director; Bravo described his background in parks and outdoor recreation and said he plans to "carry on the progress that's been established" while taking some strategic risks.

The presentation and follow-up questions covered funding sources (the statewide lodging tax and the reserve account), measurable tourism metrics, partner programs and product investments, and next steps for the office's marketing and visitor services. Several lawmakers thanked Schober for her decades of leadership and wished her well.

Ending: The committee concluded the tourism briefing and moved to the next agenda item; Schober and agency staff remained available for questions and follow-up.