Visitors arriving by air spend more time here

When visitors arrive by air, says Diane Shober, they spend more time at their destination.

Shober is the director of Wyoming’s Office of Tourism and was one of four panelists that earlier this week discussed the results of the 2020 Aviation Economic Impact Study.

Among the findings of the study was the key role played by tourism. Shober talked about the role of tourism in Wyoming.

Shober said the focus needs to be on strategies to expand the tourism economy and benefit communities large and small in all of Wyoming’s 23 counties.

She said although right now there is virtually no international travel into the United States, when there is international travel, those travelers rely exclusively on air service.

And, she said, while the leisure industry relies predominantly on motor vehicle traffic, there has been a continual increase over the years in visitors arriving by air.

She said the opportunity to increase that availability and accessibility into Wyoming is critical in all aspects of growth. Shober said while her focus is on tourism, she also understands that tourism is married very tightly to all industries in the state.

Shober said the tourism office is dedicated to seeing growth in aviation.