Tourism Leaders Meet in Cheyenne - KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, Sports

Tourism Leaders Meet in Cheyenne

Tourism leaders from across Wyoming are in the Capitol City for the Governor's Hospitality and Tourism Conference.

It's tourism meets business at Little America: an opportunity for tourism leaders to gather and network.

Anna Olson, Brand Director for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, says her business is snow. "We actually had an amazing year last year. We were fortunate to have some good snow in an industry that was struggling" she says.

Aaron McCreight, CEO of the Convention of Visitors Bureau in Casper, says his business is oil, gas and sports and last year numbers were up.   

Diane Shober, Director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism, says the state saw in increase of four percent in visitors and tax revenues in 2012.

So what are some of the numbers for Cheyenne and Laramie County? "Travel and tourism look very positive in Laramie County. We are following the statewide trend of gentle growth" says Darren Rudloff, President of Visit Cheyenne.

In 2012, travelers brought in about $330 million to Laramie County, second only to Teton County.

That's Olson's neck of the woods. She says last year was her resort's second best season on record. As for this year, she's optimistic. "I think generally if you look around this conference there is definitely a layer of optimism" she says.

Wyoming business hopes that layer of optimism translates into a layer of cash.

Note: tourism is Wyoming's second largest industry, behind mineral extraction.