The Wind River Visitors Council has transitioned to winter marketing campaigns and is involved in lots of wonderful projects. One project that we’re particularly excited about is an expanded TravelStorys Wind River Indian Reservation Audio Tour. The tour currently has 10 Eastern Shoshone sites and we’ve been working with the Northern Arapaho Economic Development Commission to add 10 Northern Arapaho sites. The full tour will be released at the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association’s annual conference in Funner, California, on October 24. Another exciting project that we’re involved with on the Wind River Indian Reservation is getting a digital sign at the Frank B. Wise Business Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Wind River Visitors Council gets lots of questions, and some of our most frequently asked ones are listed below.
- What does the Wind River Visitors Council do?
The Wind River Visitors Council (WRVC), a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), is charged with the responsibility of investing lodging tax revenues to facilitate wider promotion and marketing of Fremont County and the Wind River Indian Reservation (branded as Wind River Country) as a tourist and visitor destination.
- What is the Tourism Asset Development program (TAD)?
The TAD program is a voluntary program that is unique to Wind River Country. The Wind River Visitors Council gives 25% of the local lodging tax back to the communities in the percentage that they contribute to the lodging tax. Depending on occupancy rates, these numbers are constantly changing. These funds are distributed by the chamber of commerce offices in Lander, Riverton and Shoshoni; Town Hall in Hudson; and Destination Dubois in Dubois to market the communities. Marketing efforts may include events, grants, educational programs and more.
- If I want to get TAD funds for an event or program, who would I talk to?
In Lander, Riverton and Shoshoni, you’d talk to the Chamber of Commerce for that city/town. In Hudson, you’d talk to City Hall, and in Dubois, you’d talk to Destination Dubois.
- Can the Wind River Visitors Council help me to promote an event? If so, how?
Absolutely. The Wind River Visitors Council maintains an ongoing online calendar, which automatically posts to County 10 and the Wyoming Office of Tourism. In addition, the Wind River Visitors Council sends events to many of the Chamber newsletters. Events can be sent to the Wind River Visitors Council’s Community Engagement Manager, Melanie Hoefle at [email protected].
- What can’t lodging tax money be spent on?
Funds may not be spent on alcohol, lobbying efforts or capital construction (building a building).
- How is the Wind River Visitors Council Board of Directors made up?
The Board of Directors has two representatives from Dubois (currently Randy Lahr and Frank Welty), Lander (currently Krista Lobera and Owen Sweeney) and Riverton (currently Julie Buller and Hal Herron), one representative from Hudson (currently Helen Gordon) and Shoshoni (currently Joel Highsmith), and two representatives from the County (currently Cy Lee and Kip Post). Representatives are designated by the Mayor of each city/town, and in the case of the County, by the County Commissioners.
- How many employees does the Wind River Visitors Council have?
The Wind River Visitors Council has two employees, Helen Wilson (Executive Director) and Melanie Hoefle (Community Engagement Manager).
- What organizations does the Wind River Visitors Council work with?
The Wind River Visitors Council works with many organizations in the towns, cities, County and State. This includes the chambers of commerce, economic development groups, colleges and universities and the Wyoming Office of Tourism.
- What types of projects does the Wind River Visitors Council get involved with?
The Wind River Visitors Council gets involved with projects focused on tourism. Some of the types of projects are listed below:
- Video production
- Responsible travel campaigns
- Community recognition
- Audio tours
- Event production and promotion
- The production and distribution of brochures including Wind River Country Vacation Guides and the Wind River Indian Reservation Audio Tour
- Local, national and international marketing campaigns
- Social media marketing campaigns
- Digital signs
- Influencer campaigns
- Crisis communications
- Motorcoach tours
- Earned media
- Displays featuring Wind River Country
Events
Do you have events that you’d like posted to the Wind River Visitors Council’s website, which automatically posts to the Wyoming Office of Tourism website and County 10? Please send any events, packages, news, etc. to Melanie Hoefle (the Wind River Visitors Council’s Community Engagement Manager) at [email protected]. She can also get you Wind River Visitors Council vacation guides, driving tours, Continental Divide Trail information and/or the Wyoming and Utah Pioneer Trails Auto Tour brochure.
– Helen Wilson, Executive Director, WRVC
The Wind River Visitors Council’s mission is to stimulate tourism by increasing awareness of and encouraging visitation to, the unique destinations, activities and events in Wind River Country.
