April 23, 2024 |
Photo – Spring time in the Snowy Range – Courtesy Discover Carbon County Wyoming
The Carbon County Visitor’s Council CEO recently explained the newly completed tourism master plan to the Medicine Bow town council.
Last year, the Carbon County Visitor’s Council began the process of creating the first tourism master plan for Carbon County.
During the April 8th Medicine Bow town council meeting, CCVC Chief Executive Officer Leslie Jefferson explained that she hired Darren Rudloff, of Cheyenne-based Rudloff Solutions, to create the tourism master plan. Rudloff brought together 25 individuals from around the county, including Medicine Bow Museum Director Sharon Biamon, to provide input on the plan.
Carbon County Visitor’s Council CEO Jefferson said the first thing the tourism master plan committee did was create a tagline. Or, as Jefferson puts it, a vision. Jefferson said the committee also consulted other municipalities’ master plans to determine the best way to improve tourism in Carbon County.
Jefferson said the tourism master plan committee identified four strategic opportunities for Carbon County: the visitor’s experience, outdoor recreation, hospitality, and partnerships.
Jefferson explained that the visitor’s experience consists of what people see when they come to Carbon County.
Jefferson said this year, her organization will focus on improving the appearance of communities along the county’s highways. The Carbon County Visitor’s Council CEO said she would like to make a friendly competition out of her proposed community clean-up projects.
Jefferson said she will also investigate creating better signage to direct tourists to the various attractions around the county.
The second strategic opportunity identified by the tourism master plan committee is outdoor recreation.
Jefferson said she is involved with the Southeast Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Collaborative. SWORC, as it is called, is an arm of the Wyoming Department of Recreation. Jefferson said participation in SWORC provides access to additional grant opportunities. She asked the Medicine Bow town council for ideas on how to improve the outdoor recreation experience.
Jefferson said she is promoting the WY Responsibility program, which encourages people not to litter or harass wildlife while enjoying outdoor recreation activities.
Jefferson moved on to the third strategic opportunity for tourism: hospitality. The Carbon County Tourism Council CEO said her organization has partnered with The Tourism Academy, a Michigan-based non-profit tourism professional education organization. Jefferson said Rawlins resident Casey Shinkle has agreed to teach an online hospitality class at the Carbon County Higher Education Center.
The fourth and final strategic opportunity for Carbon County is partnerships. Jefferson said she has written letters of support for three different grant applications.
Jefferson said the completed tourism master plan qualifies Carbon County for many grant opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable.
An address to the completed 2023 Carbon County Tourism Master Plan will be included with this story when it is posted to the Bigfoot99 website later today.
2023 Carbon County Tourism Master Plan: https://www.wyomingcarboncounty.com/images/CC24_MasterPlan.pdf
