WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2026 |
Photo – Building in Savery – Courtesy CCVC website
County officials declared this week as National Travel and Tourism Week.
During Tuesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, the Board proclaimed the week of May 3rd through the 9th as National Travel and Tourism Week. Carbon County Visitors Council Executive Director Leslie Jefferson said tourism extends beyond hospitality. Jefferson said visitors staying in Carbon County bring in lodging tax revenue and support local businesses.
Jefferson said that in 2025, tourists spent $5 billion across Wyoming, including $239.9 million in Carbon County. The tourism industry generated an estimated $292 million in state and local taxes, $15.5 million of which came from Carbon County. Jefferson said statewide, the industry supports nearly 1,700 local jobs, admittedly fewer than the previous year.
Jefferson said every two years, the Wyoming Office of Tourism provides Destination Development grant funding to the Carbon County Visitors Council to enhance the county’s marketability and visitor infrastructure. Jefferson said her office received $300,000 in the last funding cycle, $65,000 of which was spent helping the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office establish the county’s first avalanche forecasting team.
In addition, Jefferson said a portion of the Destination Development grant funded a study to determine the feasibility of creating a paved bicycle path along Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Walcott Junction. However, the 20‑mile ADA‑accessible route proved too costly to build and maintain, and the project has been temporality shelved.
Jefferson continued, saying that next week the Fossil Cabin is scheduled to be moved seven miles from its current location at Como Bluffs to the Medicine Bow Museum.
The Carbon County Visitors Council is also participating in the county’s celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As part of those celebrations, Jefferson said the City of Rawlins is hosting a variety of events on Wyoming Statehood Day, July 10th.
Also on July 10th, the Carbon County 250 Committee will screen its new documentary Journeys to 250. The film explores how the area was settled and why people continue to live in Carbon County and will include reenactments of important historical events. The 30‑minute documentary will debut on July 4th in Saratoga.
Commissioner Sue Jones thanked Jefferson and the Carbon County Visitors Council for helping fund the movie.
Following Leslie Jefferson’s report, Commission Chairman Travis Moore proclaimed May 3rd through the 9th as National Travel and Tourism Week in Carbon County.
