Champion tourism

The importance of tourism to Carbon County is everywhere if one knows where to look.

The iconic hotels and good restaurants are not the only places that serve visitors. Gas stations, retail establishments, law enforcement agencies, museums and even town halls benefit from tourists. 

Almost all Carbon County residents of benefit from tourism to varying degrees and it is in the county's best interest visitors leave with a positive impression of the area. 

The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) recognizes this and has partnered with Visitor Engagement Academy to produce a training tool that can be found online to help residents make a visitor's stay enjoyable so they leave with a positive feeling about Carbon County. 

"Tourism is huge in Carbon County. Even though we may be social distancing due to the COVID-19 crisis currently, travel and tourism is resilient and will return." said Leslie Jefferson, Executive Director/CEO for the CCVC. "It is exciting that our training tool is complete and ready to use during these difficult times. We invite everyone interested in the training tool to contact us to enroll." 

The Carbon County Visitor Journey A2D is a combination of online learning along with a live class that ties the training together. The time required to complete the course is roughly two hours of online learning, broken into 15 to 20 minute segments, and a 60 to 75 minute live class. 

The online training modules can be completed at a participant's own pace. The A2D online has eight modules, which have no time frame to finish, before going to the live session.

"Visitor Journey A2D was built to assist our lodging and hospitality partners in training front line staff on what Carbon County has to offer," Jefferson said. "The course teaches how to communicate with visitors, where to find informational resources and steps to make a great visitor experience."

Jefferson reiterates that the training is useful to all who live in Carbon County.

"Visitor Journey A2D explains that not just lodging partners and/or hospitality partners have interaction with visitors but all Carbon County residents have a chance of a visitor encounter," Jefferson said. "CCVC's goal is to enable the public to help visitors have the best experience possible in Carbon County. The course covers how to connect and engage visitors, provide great customer service, visitor information resources and where to find them, and how provide more than expected with insider information." 

Jefferson feels COVID-19 has actually made places like Carbon County attractive to visit in the coming months.

"Tourism in Wyoming is big business and tourism is resilient. This summer will bring domestic travelers looking for wide open spaces and not too populated places.," Jefferson said. "Carbon County is the perfect retreat for room to roam and outdoor activities with plenty of fresh air."

Jefferson recognizes COVID-19 protocols have taken its toll on the tourism industry.

"The past year has been devastating for the hospitality industry but Carbon County has fared well compared to other parts of the country," Jefferson said. "Overall, Carbon County lodging tax revenue is down approximately 22 percent. The decrease is not all due to visitor absence but a change in the way visitors stay overnight. Over the past 12 months we have observed that visitors are overnighting in residential lodging such as bed and breakfasts, guest ranches and campgrounds versus hotels."

For residents who think they know all about tourism and helping visitors, the modules cover different topics that might not be so easy to answer.

One module asks the online user what activities and places would they recommend to a family that has children ages 8 to 14. What restaurants would be recommended? If the eight year old likes pirates, what would be a place to recommend to see in the county? Another module asks what resources available are for a visitor a resident would recommend. One thought provoking module asks what the participant would do in a situation where a bad experience had just occurred. There are six steps.

The course is free to the learner. The final certification piece is to attend a live class that wraps all the lessons into one package. 

To enroll in the tourism training course visit http:/bit.ly/CarbonCountyA2D. For more information please call 307-324-3020 or send an email to [email protected] requesting enrollment.

CCVC is the local lodging tax board. The board was formed in 1987 by a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). The members of the JPA are: the Carbon County Commissioners and the towns of Baggs, Elk Mountain, Encampment, Hanna, Medicine Bow, Rawlins, Riverside, and Saratoga. CCVC's mission is to promote events, tourism, and the hospitality industry in Carbon County.

With the Carbon County Visitor Journey A2D tool, residents of the county can promote events and activities in the place they live with confidence.