Darren Rudloff: 2017 Has Been Good For Tourism

Visit Cheyenne President Darren Rudloff says that while there aren't any hard numbers available yet, it looks like 2017 has been a very good year for tourism in both Laramie County and Wyoming a whole.

Rudloff says for Cheyenne, attractions this summer included not only the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days events but also the city's 150th-anniversary celebration and the traffic generated by the solar eclipse in August.

While Cheyenne was not considered a prime viewing area for the eclipse, he says people headed to that event rented hotel rooms and purchased meals and gas in Laramie County. He says when the Laramie County tourism numbers do become available, he expects them to be well-above average.

Rudloff says that is important not only for the short-term income visitors generated, but also as a marketing tool to introduce the area to people who may eventually be interested in locating or starting a business in the area. Rudloff likens recreational visits to a ''first date'' that can sometimes lead to further interest.

He says the same dynamics are in play statewide in terms of the solar eclipse, which was very likely the first exposure many visitors have ever had to Wyoming.