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Wyoming Office of Tourism director appointed to U.S. Travel Association executive board

• Mar 22, 2024
• Mar 22, 2024 Updated Mar 22, 2024
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CHEYENNE – On Thursday, the U.S. Travel Association announced the appointment of two new members to its executive board, including Diane Shober, executive director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism.

"I am honored to represent the Cowboy State on the U.S. Travel Association Executive Board," Shober said in a news release. "This appointment underscores Wyoming's significance in the travel industry, and for all western states and rural communicates. I look forward to working alongside other travel leaders to advance the association's strategic priorities, drive travel growth and a stronger, competitive industry."

The U.S. Travel Association is the national nonprofit organization representing the $1.3 trillion travel industry, an essential contributor to the nation's economy and success. U.S. Travel produces programs and insights and advocates for policies to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for more information.

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Wyoming Office of Tourism Announces a Newly Appointed Board Member

• Dec 19, 2022

The Wyoming Office of Tourism is pleased to announce Charisse Meadows Haws as a new Wyoming Tourism Board member. Governor Mark Gordon recently appointed Meadows Haws to represent District 6.

Meadows Haws is the co-president of four hotel properties in Jackson (49er Inn & Suites, Antler Inn, Cowboy Village Resort and Elk Country Inn), which was originally founded by her mother, Clarene Law. Law set down roots in Jackson and began the family business in the 1960s. Unfortunately, Law passed away in September. She is remembered as the matriarch of the travel industry and a recognized champion statewide.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Meadows Haws is a passionate Wyoming native who brings years of hospitality experience and understands the importance of the visitor economy.

“I have seen lives changed for the better when people visit the wild, beautiful and diverse places in Wyoming,” Meadows Haws said. “I have also seen communities benefit from visitation. I believe it is a win-win industry and I want to ensure that it survives and thrives.”

Meadows Haws also said she is most looking forward to working with people from across the state.

“Charisse is such a wonderful addition to the Wyoming Tourism Board,” said Diane Shober, executive director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism. “Her expertise and deep-rooted family involvement in the industry will be highly beneficial to not only the board, but to Wyoming as a whole.”

District 6 became vacant when Anna Olson resigned her unexpired term. Olson, a strong leader in the tourism industry resigned when she left her position as president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce for an opportunity outside of the industry.

The Wyoming Tourism Board is comprised of nine members from six districts and three at-large appointees who are employed or associated with the travel industry.

Wyoming Tourism Board Members:

Mike Keller – Chairman; At Large

General Manager – Yellowstone National Park Lodges

Tony O’Brien – Vice Chairman; District 1 (Albany, Carbon, Laramie)

Area Manager – Little America Hotel and Resort

John Johnson – District 2 (Converse, Goshen, Natrona, Niobrara, Platte)

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President – Johnson Restaurant Group, Inc.

Shawn Parker – District 3 (Campbell, Crook, Sheridan, Weston)

Executive Director – Sheridan Travel and Tourism

Mark Tesoro – District 4 (Lincoln, Sweetwater, Uinta)

Group Publisher – Uinta County Herald

Quintin Blair – District 5 (Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie)

Vice President – Leisure Travel Development at Blair Hotels

Charisse Meadows Haws * – District 6 (Fremont, Sublette, Teton) *Newly Appointed

Co-president – Town Square Inns

Budd Betts – At Large

Owner – Absaroka Ranch and Outfitters

Ken Barkey – At Large

Owner – Prime Rib Restaurant and Wine Cellar

The board is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate, with each appointee serving one three-year term. Criteria to be appointed to the Wyoming Tourism Board includes industry representation by sector and geography, deep knowledge and understanding of the tourism and hospitality industry and marketing experience.

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• Apr 30, 2024

Wyoming Governor’s Hospitality and Tourism Convention highlights the state’s second largest industry

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - The Wyoming Governor’s Hospitality and Tourism Convention is dedicated to celebrating, and educating the industry leaders across the state.

Executive Director for Wyoming Office of Tourism, Diane Shober, gave a keynote highlighting the importance of tourism to the cowboy state.

“People come here, they spend their money in Wyoming. That helps support an economy, it helps support jobs, and in the world of tourism you get to really showcase and show off the very best that Wyoming has to offer,” said Shober.

The Wyoming Office of Tourism recently launched the “Modern Explorers” campaign, honoring trailblazers of the past and paying homage to Wyoming’s refuge.

“Not only including our National beautiful landscapes, but also our people who are so hospitable and generous,” said Shober.

At the convention different industry organizations work together to tackle new issues, share new trends in marketing, and discuss development amongst communities.

“The rising tide floats all boats, and so in that shared education and knowledge, and the coming together, it really does help elevate the work of each and every one of us individually,” said Shober.

While Wyoming is well known for its National Parks and Monuments, tourism has been growing in lesser known locations.

“When you want to grow an economy, you have to take advantage of those areas where there really is the greatest potential for growth,” said Shober.

The Wyoming Office of Tourism says that the impact of travel strengthens the economic position, and provides opportunity for people in local communities.

“Even though we talk a lot about visitors coming into Wyoming, I would just encourage everyone here in Wyoming to get out and explore your own backyard,” said Shober.

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The Albany County Tourism Board (ACTB) is located in Laramie, the Gem City of Wyoming, which is nestled at the base of the Snowy Range between Vedauwoo to the east and the Medicine Bow National Forest to the west. The ACTB promotes travel and tourism to the Laramie area with national advertising.

To create sustainable economic growth through tourism that helps our businesses and communities thrive together.

Visit Laramie is the driving force combining the success of travel and tourism with community quality of life throughout all of Albany County.

Guiding Principles

Innovation: Think Big. Think Often. Think Outside the Box. Challenge the status quo as a proactive leader. Take calculated risks. Purposefulness: Be representative of all that Albany County is. Take accountability for our tourism impacts. Be efficient. Be persistent. Be effective. Collaboration: Ask for and provide help. Leverage strengths to seek win-win solutions. Build and value lasting relationships. Sustainability: Prioritize long-term benefit over short-term gains. Intentionally define growth by market. Focus and educate the ideal traveler.

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The Albany County Tourism Board meets on the third Monday of every month at 4 pm. at the Visitor Center Office. Please note that dates and locations may change due to COVID-19, having a quorum present, and some meetings may be held via Zoom.

Meeting Minutes

Minutes for past board meetings can be found linked below.

February 2024 January 2024 No Meeting in December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 No Meeting in July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023

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Wyoming Office Of Tourism Stops Wildlife Ads In Wake Of Wolf Abuse Scandal

Wyoming’s wildlife is a big tourism draw, but the state Office of Tourism has paused all of its wildlife tourism advertising in the wake of the wolf torture case that has sparked worldwide outrage.

April 19, 2024 7 min read

With Wyoming in the crosshairs of an ongoing international scandal over the torture and killing of a wolf, the state is dialing back all its wildlife advertising, according to an emailed advisory sent out to the Cowboy State’s travel sector and obtained by Cowboy State Daily.

The email was sent out by Wyoming Office of Tourism Senior Communications Manager Piper Singer.

Wyoming Office of Tourism Director Diane Shober said her team is continuing to monitor sentiment and activity around the incident, and will act accordingly.

“The Wyoming Tourism Board and Wyoming Office of Tourism join Gov. (Mark) Gordon and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department regarding the recent incident in Sublette County, and the conviction of the defendant for illegal possession of a warm-blooded wildlife.”

Shober said Wyoming Office of Tourism supports a statement provided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.

“What happened is not reflective of the values of the state of Wyoming,” Shober added. “As the travel and tourism industry, wildlife is a primary reason why people come (to) Wyoming, and its protection and preservation are of utmost importance to us. We encourage all visitors to respect and cherish Wyoming’s wildlife and natural resources.”

In the emailed advisory, Piper acknowledges the widespread public criticism “over the wolf abuse by a resident.”

“Over the past week, Travel Wyoming and many other state agencies are at the forefront of a social boycott,” she wrote. “As a result, we have paused all paid and organic social media until further notice, along with ads related to wildlife experiences.

“We will not be issuing any public statements or engaging with any social comments.”

How To Handle The Backlash

The email goes on to say that the situation will be evaluated daily, to determine when marketing and content strategies around wildlife should resume.

The email also outlines steps that organizations can take to manage emails, phone calls or social media comments, and urges managers to share the advice with front-line staff and welcome centers.

“As an organization, refrain from sharing your opinion or making public statements related to the situation,” the email states. “It’s important as an agency to not make any personal stances in a statement. Please note that it is perfectly OK to NOT engage with these messages that are abusive or aggressive in nature.”

Piper even shared a statement for organizations to use:

“We appreciate your feedback and value your decision to voice your concerns,” her suggested statement reads. “It’s important to emphasize that the actions of one individual do not reflect the broader sentiments or actions of the state of Wyoming.

“As the official travel and tourism authority in Wyoming, our purpose is to promote and inspire travel, and federal laws and wolf management plans fall outside of our jurisdiction.

“For specific inquiries regarding Wyoming’s wildlife, we recommend reading out to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.”

Roberts And The Wolf

The decision follows worldwide outrage caused after a Sublette County man was accused of capturing a wolf by running it down with a snowmobile, taking it home, then showing it off at a local bar before taking it behind the bar and killing it.

Videos of the captured wolf show a man identified as Cody Roberts, 42, of Daniel at one point stooping down over the wolf to kiss its muzzle , which had been taped shut at one point.

A photograph Roberts with the wolf has also emerged. In it, Roberts poses beside the wolf, whose head is cast downward. Roberts is smiling in the photo, with his arm around the wolf’s neck, seemingly to hold its head still. He has a beer in the other hand.

Roberts was fined $250 by Wyoming Game and Fish for possessing a live wolf, which further outraged many people across Wyoming, as well as other states and other countries. Authorities have said they are investigating the incident further, and there could be more penalties, including loss of hunting privileges.

The incident has brought on a flood of criticism, inundating local law enforcement and Game and Fish phone lines with accusations that the state’s wolf management is too lax, helping to foster questionable practices.

Some of the criticism, however, has targeted people named Cody Roberts who had nothing to do with the incident, they just happen to have the same name and live somewhere in Wyoming.

Wyoming Gets Blasted

One of the most visible results of the fallout over the wolf has been on social media. Every Wyoming official is now a target for comments about what happened in Daniel, no matter what the original topic of the post was.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, for example, was taken to task over the wolf incident in Sublette County on a post she made blasting the Postal Service’s decision to downgrade Wyoming’s mail processing centers in Cheyenne and Casper.

“Hello Senator Cynthia Lummis, it seems also unacceptable that Wyoming is allowing animal cruelty on a massive scale, and not a word from any elected Wyoming official,” a post from Alan Crawford of Bozeman, Montana, read. “My state, Montana, is no better. Do you approve of chasing animals with motorized vehicles? Your silence speaks volumes about your morals.”

A California respiratory therapist named Laura Shelby, meanwhile, mocked the senator’s post by saying, “If your ZIP code doesn’t impact your ability to commit heinous animal/wolf torture, then it shouldn’t impact your mail center either. Way to go, Senator Lummis.”

Piper, in her email advisory, recommends against deleting such comments from social media, but suggests instead to block aggressive or abusive language such as “torture” or “abuse” using Meta’s (otherwise known as Facebook’s) platform.

She also recommends against directly engaging with comments or posts about what happened to the wolf, and to direct private messages to “more appropriate” resources.

Wildlife A Huge Draw

Wyoming’s untamed wildness, where the deer, antelope, moose, elk and even the wolves play, draws in more than $500 million of the $4 billion or so that tourists spend in Wyoming every year. Wildlife money also supports employment for nearly 10,000 people.

Watching wildlife is also the No. 1 reason many people cite for traveling to the Cowboy State, so it is a substantial part of what draws tourists to the state every year.

Wednesday, however, brought at least 100 people to Riverton for an entirely different reason — to express outrage, in person, over the wolf captured and abused before being killed in Daniel.

Many of the commenters told the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission they were questioning whether they could support Wyoming tourism any more.

“The incident (with the wolf) in Wyoming has given me nightmares,” Lorraine Finazzo of South Carolina told the commission. “Unless there are changes in the laws, we cannot continue to support Wyoming tourism. The laws must change, the world is watching.”

Dozens of people from Wyoming also expressed their outrage over the incident and called for a ban on the practice of running predatory animals down with snowmobiles.

“Wyoming hunters will forever be associated with the likes of the wolf torturer in Daniel, and I refuse to be associated with that,” Wyoming native and hunter Jim Layborn said.

He told Cowboy State Daily after the comment session ended that he’s planning to not obtain hunting tags over the incident.

Renée Jean can be reached at [email protected] .

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Published April 29, 2024

A comprehensive new report released by the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality (WORTH) Initiative -- in collaboration with several community colleges across the state -- reveals critical insights into the workforce development needs within Wyoming’s robust travel industry. The Gap Analysis Report underscores the urgent need for enhancing educational programs and training opportunities to sustain and expand this crucial economic sector in the Cowboy State.

In 2023, Wyoming’s travel industry -- the state's second-largest industry -- supported more than 33,000 jobs, and travelers spent $4.5 billion, making a significant impact on the state’s economy. Despite these impressive figures, the report identifies a gap in the skilled workforce necessary to support the industry’s continued growth and development.

The report, supported by Gov. Mark Gordon’s Wyoming Innovation Partnership, found a decline in enrollment and graduation in tourism and hospitality-related programs post-COVID-19, with recovery lagging behind the demand for skilled workers. Programs related to outdoor recreation and leadership have seen increasing popularity, indicating a shift in demand.

Key findings from the report include:

-- A 24 percent projected increase in employment within the travel industry by 2030, significantly outpacing the overall state employment growth.

-- A shortfall in the number of skilled workers emerging from educational programs relative to the needs of the industry.

WORTH researchers recommended focusing on boosting enrollment and program visibility, enhancing partnerships between educational institutions and industry stakeholders, and expanding training programs to address specific industry skills gaps.

Dan McCoy, WORTH interim director, emphasizes the importance of the findings.

“Our report highlights the need for strategic investments in education and workforce development to keep pace with the industry’s demands,” McCoy says. “By strengthening the ties between educational institutions and the travel industry, we can ensure a more robust and skilled workforce to support Wyoming’s economic future.”

The full report is available at https://doi.org/10.15786/wyoscholar/9852 .

For more information, email McCoy at [email protected] or visit the WORTH website at www.uwyo.edu/worth .

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The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission met in Riverton April 16-17 to discuss and approve the annual hunting season regulations and quotas. After hearing season presentations and reviewing public comments, the Commission passed the 2024 hunting season regulations and quotas.

The finalized season information is available on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website . Hunters who have already applied are encouraged to  check the hunt areas they applied for to see if any changes occurred during the season-setting process. The department's Hunt Planner tool will be updated with the approved seasons by the beginning of May.

Game and Fish personnel provided the Commission with an update on trapping, the Speas Fish Hatchery cool/warm-water facility and landowner licenses. Additionally, the department and partners provided a presentation on the Dubois U.S. Highway 26 construction project. The Commission also listened to significant public comment on the Sublette County wolf incident.

A full recording of the Commission meeting is available online .

The next Commission meeting is May 21-22 in Dubois and will coincide with the Wyoming Sportsperson Conservation Forum that will be held at the National Museum of Military Vehicles. 

Breanna Ball

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