Travel and tourism board meeting

The November Hot Springs County Travel & Tourism board meeting was held at Audra’s Copper Coo. There was no board meeting in October due to the members attending the Fall Summit in Yellowstone National Park. Treasurer Audra Dominguez reported that in September the lodging tax deposit was $26,482.25, which was an increase of 1% with the average of $25,868.39. This was $270.17 more than the previous year. Additionally, for the lodging tax deposit for October they received $38,506.60 which was a 23% increase, with the average of $24,231.16. This was a $7,249.61 increase. The board voted and passed the approval to accept the financial report.

In the director’s report, Jackie Dorothy said, “The Fall Summit was a success–despite the road closures keeping out many attendees. Many ideas were exchanged and networking with our state officials was the big plus of the event, which is much smaller than the conference in Cheyenne.”

The board discussed that they noticed a lot of travelers in the past year, with some still even visiting Hot Springs County now in the off-season. Some commented there were a lot of campers and were looking for free places to stay, coming from all over the United States and Canada. 

The board had an unexpected expenditure related to their billboard sign in the Waltman area. They had not been billed for the past four years for the use of the sign. The landowner contacted them and they have now paid for the rental at $100 per month for the four-year period.

Guest Meri Ann Dorman and the board discussed promoting the Central Wyoming 4x4 off-road park and the new hiking trails. They also discussed the shooting range complex that is being explored. Dorman added that Hot Springs County doesn’t have much wind compared to other locations and that most shooters will drive to a range and not necessarily fly in from an airport. 

In old business, the board discussed the digital sign project. They are still waiting for their memorandum of understanding.

The board also discussed the Fodor’s Travel guide, where their representative recently visited Hot Springs County and Director Jackie Dorothy gave them an itinerary for their tour. 

In new business, Austin Hawkins from Herrmann Global gave a presentation for a variety of their packages and their fees. The packages cover a paid social campaign, a destination story, an ambassador visit, tourism insights and travel trade representation. 

In an open floor discussion, board member Dr. Will Robinson updated them with his research on a potential fiberglass buffalo sculpture. He found a vendor from Casper that can produce a sculpture for about $3,000. The board will continue to explore this potential project.