Tourism Talk: The latest news from the Wyoming Office of Tourism

Your newsletter for things that are happening in the tourism and hospitality industry throughout the state.

Happy Holidays from the Wyoming Office of Tourism!

We hope you have a safe and wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year with family and friends.
To help spread the holiday cheer, we’d like to share a few highlights from this past year:

We’d also like to thank you all for your continuous support and for making this year so special.
Cheers to a successful 2022, as we ring in another spectacular year of tourism for Wyoming in 2023.

Hospitality & Tourism Fair

For More information Email Dan

2022 UK Mission

The Wyoming Office of Tourism along with representatives from the other Great American West (GAW) states, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota participated in an overseas sales mission to the UK market December 4-8, 2022.

The week in London consisted of multiple business meetings and networking functions with targeted trade (53), airline (4), receptive (2) and media (15) contacts to fulfill destination and product trainings, establish and generate new leads, and strengthen relationships within the market, all while reconnecting with key tourism contacts during a period of recovery and growth for the GAW within the market. Among the trade, we received overall very positive sentiments, with several reporting full staffing recovery and growing booking demand, especially for the GAW. Many companies have new people on board, requiring ongoing training and education, which lent well into the timing of the region’s mission to this market. Normal booking patterns are returning, with peak booking season happening around this time and January being the key month for seeing clients commit to travel. The travel trade remains busy with inquiries and bookings but are still finding time to improve or add to their product offerings. Many requested assistance with building themed itineraries, bookable product (accommodation) and more in-depth staff trainings, and even expressed interest in attending fam tours to the region in 2023.

The media reported they are fully recovered and are again filling their travel calendars 12-18 months out. Freelance media in this market are no longer making competitive commissions for story coverage (the standard is around $400 from a major outlet), and now expect fully paid-for press trips before
committing to travel. Coordinated group press trips are seen as ideal for this five-state region, making
note that the shortest lead time required for recruitment sits at five months in advance to secure quality
participants. Topics that tend to work well in this market for destinations like the GAW are stories
around new air routes, unique accommodations, wildlife, wide-open spaces, anniversaries, Indigenous
culture / heritage / experiences, and dark skies.

Media & Press Summary: November 2022

Please note the ‘Top Media Placements’ and ‘Earned Media’ include coverage that is a direct result of the Wyoming Office of Tourism’s (WOT) efforts, while “Wyoming in the News” is coverage that cannot be directly tracked back to the PR program.

November 2022

*This includes domestic media coverage only

Reach: 1,490,346,663

Placements: 40

Fiscal Year-to-Date

*Domestic media coverage through Month YYYY and international media coverage through Month YYYY

Reach: 6,783,747,696

Placements: 285

Top Media Placements

As the magic of the holiday season descends upon us, media fittingly delivered a bundle of Wyoming coverage in the month of November. Sure to bring tidings of joy, The Today Show deemed Sheridan as one of the “25 Best Christmas Towns in the US for a Winter Getaway.” Sheridan was described as having a “small-town, Hallmark holiday movie feel,” particularly with the annual Christmas Stroll that is “coupled against the backdrop of dreamy, snowy weather.” The story was subsequently picked up by Yahoo! and Heads Topic.
Perhaps one of most special holiday deliveries came from the producers at Good Morning Morning America, who aired the segment, “Yellowstone Celebrates its 150th Anniversary” on Thanksgiving Day morning. Ranked as the most-watched morning show, GMA paid homage to the resilience of the national park after reopening to the public in the wake of last summer’s devastating floods.

Full Media Report

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Featured Speaker

As chief growth officer for Trend Hunter, Jonathon Brown is an expert in maximizing the innovation potential of ambitious companies. After hundreds of interviews with global innovation leaders, Jonathon has uncovered methods for sparking creativity and systematic innovation across many industries. Immerse yourself in his techniques and expertise on innovation on Tuesday, January 31.

Be Inspired

We are in the people business first and foremost, which is why it makes sense to invest in team culture and hospitality leadership. Be inspired by the always entertaining, Bob Pacanovsky! Hear his theory on becoming a stronger and more selfless leader. Take a peek at this teaser from Bob himself:

Teaser Video

Take advantage of the extended trade show time this year. Have your products and/or business featured in our diverse show of exhibits. Opportunities are limited but still available.

Exhibit & Sponsor Opportunities

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Amy Larsen

Industry Relation Manager

Phone: (307) 777-6706

Email Amy