Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Releases 2025 Economic Impact Data

For immediate release

National Travel and Tourism Week is May 3-9

May 4, 2026—Rock Springs, Wyoming—Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism (known as Explore WY) is celebrating the tourism industry and the role it plays in Wyoming during National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), May 3-9.

“While we saw a slight drop in visitation, we saw increases in length of stay, retail sales and flights into our region,” said Jenissa Meredith, CEO of Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism. “We also saw an increase in events that took place in Sweetwater County, drawing visitors to our corner of Wyoming.”

In honor of NTTW, Sweetwater County is sharing the 2025 tourism economic impact report for Wyoming and Sweetwater County. In 2025, 8.8 million overnight visitors spent $5 billion in Wyoming, with that spending contributing $291.8 million in travel-generated taxes. In terms of visitor spending, 72.5% came from nonresident and international visitors.

A few 2025 stats:

• Sweetwater County welcomed 541,000 visitors for a total of 1,163,000 overnight stays
• Travel generated 1,470 jobs in Sweetwater County and 33,960 jobs in Wyoming
• Travelers spent $179.9 million in Sweetwater County, which generated $11.3 million in state and local taxes
• Top sectors for visitor spend included accommodations, food, local transportation and gas, retail sales, arts/entertainment/recreation and grocery stores
• The average length of stay in Sweetwater County is 2 days

Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism markets the region through a variety of ways, including advertising, content marketing (website, newsletter and social media), group sales, public relations, fulfillment and more.

Marketing highlights include 91,631 website visitors, a 48.48% engagement rate, an increase in clicks for search engine marketing (SEM) and 674,614 total impressions on paid social media ads. The organization also offers guided Flaming Gorge Tours, launched a new Flaming Gorge Audio Tour and sells sandboards and sleds so visitors can more easily experience Killpecker Sand Dunes. Their public relations program also had a reach of 462,327,643, with an earned media value of over $6 million.

As the organization looks ahead to the coming fiscal year, Explore WY is becoming Sweetwater Wyoming. The rebrand is gradually rolling out and includes a new logo, new website and brand identity.

“As the travel industry continues to evolve and competition increases, it was important for us to develop a new brand that helps solidify what makes our region so special,” said Meredith. “This new brand will be part of shaping visitor perception, telling the story of our destination and spurring interest in travel to Sweetwater County.”

Looking ahead to summer, the tourism organization is offering a Certified Tourism Ambassador Training on May 13 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The training is designed for locals to learn more about the area and best customer service practices to better serve visitors to the area. Interested individuals can register by calling 307-382-2538.

Learn more about Rock Springs and Green River at Sweetwaterwy.com.

About Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism 

Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism – known as Sweetwater Wyoming – is responsible for marketing Sweetwater County, including Rock Springs, Green River and other tourism amenities and destinations to nonresident travelers. The region encompasses 10,500 square miles of pure, high desert adventure. Known as “Flaming Gorge Country,” the area is characterized by the 91-square-mile Flaming Gorge Lake, the famed Green River, expansive deserts and rugged mountains. Activities include camping, hiking, biking, fishing, golfing, sightseeing, wildlife viewing, hunting dinosaurs, shopping and getting away from it all. A perfect place to explore American history, Sweetwater County is also home to petroglyphs, pioneer trails and historical museums. https://sweetwaterwy.com