During the February 18 Green River City Council meeting, President and CEO of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Jenissa Meredith presented the 2024 Annual Report. Overall the report showed continued growth and positive economic impacts for Sweetwater County.
Meredith reported that the lodging tax brought in over $1.5 million during the last fiscal year. The lodging tax must be spent on marketing for travel and tourism in Sweetwater County. From the tax collected, 79% was spent on out-of-county advertising. Additional profits from the lodging tax are also available in the form of grants. Any organization that is hosting an event that requires overnight lodging is eligible to apply for the grant. Meredith also said that the yearly conversion study reported that $84 million was brought into the county just from advertising. The translation is that for every one dollar spent in Sweetwater County, $745 was made.
Meredith also spoke about the feasibility study that is ongoing about an indoor sports facility proposed to be located in Rock Springs. Meredith explained that the process began with polling Sweetwater County residents. Meredith said that the residents polled overwhelmingly in favor of creating a multi-sport indoor facility. The study is set to be completed in April of this year.
Other positive news from Travel and Tourism included the publication Cowboys and Indians writing about Sweetwater County twice over the past year. It was explained that when publications that are in wide circulation write about Sweetwater County, it exponentially increases tourism within not only the county but the entire state. Sweetwater County was also the home to the High School State Soccer Championship in 2023 and 2024. Combined, those events produced over $60 million in economic impact to the county.
Meredith indicated that the Sweetwater County ambassador program is also continuing to grow in popularity, and there are currently 150 Sweetwater County ambassadors. The popular Flaming Gorge Bus Tour also continues growing in popularity. The tour, which includes transportation, a guided tour, and lunch, saw increased numbers of visitors last season.
Meredith concluded by saying she looks forward to the 2025 upcoming projects like working with grants for directional signage in Rock Springs and a special project, also funded by grants, on the Wyoming side of the Flaming Gorge.
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