Get to Know Your DMO

The Albany County Tourism Board (ACTB), named Visit Laramie after the largest community in the area, is the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the communities of Albany County, Wyoming, and also operates the Laramie Area Visitor Center and the Centennial Visitor Center. The DMO promotes the region as a travel destination by providing information to potential visitors, and by marketing with a focus on lodging sales, tourism destination development, events and activities, and business services. Visit Laramie uses many media platforms and channels to build brand awareness of the Laramie area and its many offerings to visitors. At the end of the day, our Mission is to create sustainable economic growth through tourism that helps our businesses and communities thrive together.

Visit Laramie's marketing efforts are funded by the county-wide lodging tax. This tax is not paid by residents of Albany County, as it only applies to paid overnight accommodations, typically paid for by visitors to the area. Learn more about the impacts and benefits of the travel and tourism industry in Albany County below.

In 2025:

• Albany County welcomed 1,504,000 overnight stays with an average length of stay of 2.0 nights.

• Direct travel spending in Albany County was $211.6 million.

• Albany County generated $13.0 million in travel-generated tax revenue, of which $5.2 million in tax stayed local to Albany County.

• Travel spending supported 1,700 jobs.

• If not for the taxes generated by the travel industry, each household in Albany County would have to pay $759 more in taxes for existing government services.

• In fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 - June 2025), the Albany County Tourism Board generated $1,528,276.00 in lodging tax revenue, the most in its history.

• In fiscal year 2024, the Albany County Tourism Board's budget was spent 63% on marketing, 25% on wages and benefits, and 12% on operating and overhead expenses.

We are still putting the finishing touches on the FY26 Annual Report. To browse prior reports, please click below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

Destination marketing invites visitors from outside Albany County to the Laramie Area who help support the local economy. Visitors support our communities in a variety of ways, from staying in a hotel and trying a new activity, attending an event followed by a trip, to local shops and restaurants. All of these visitors help to support our local businesses and jobs, and in turn, generate tax revenues for Albany County that support our way of life and local services.

In 2025, the Albany County Tourism Board revised and continued to execute on a WYBest strategic marketing plan to inspire and educate travelers who are interested in visiting the Laramie Area. Though we are funded by a lodging tax, our goal is always to use those funds to help support a strong local economy for Albany County that is supported by travel and tourism. With a mix of tactics and a talented and committed team, we were able to reach travelers at each step of their journey to ensure continued success for Albany County’s tourism economy.

Media Tactics

The Visit Laramie team executes a range of strategic marketing tactics throughout the year to reach our target customers. This includes a mix of traditional and digital media tactics executed by outside agencies as well as managed internally. Mixed media tactics include co-ops with the Wyoming Office of Tourism, social media, digital programmatic, print, out-of-home, billboards, connected TV, radio, hosting travel writers, PR, video, and more. Whenever possible, local partners and vendors are chosen to support these efforts.

Destination Management

In 2026, the Albany County Tourism Board continued to improve and implement our innovative approach to crowd dispersion and promoting responsible recreation. The Cowboy Character campaign started as a mobile trails pass to incentivize crowd dispersion in the Medicine Bow National Forest, and has morphed into a responsible recreation pledge. The campaign centers around a blend of Leave No Trace ethics and the Cowboy Code of the West. A winter version of the campaign was launched in 2022, and the pledge launched in 2025. Also in 2026, we have worked to highlight "Cowboy Characters," the locals who embody the spirit of the cowboy as it applies to caring for our lands and our Western way of life. This campaign has reached millions of people, focusing on drive market recreators. Our goal is to continue to develop these campaigns to promote and protect our outdoor recreation amenities in Albany County. Find out more about the Cowboy Character pledge here.

Destination Development

The Albany County Tourism Board continues to benefit from Destination Development Funding provided by the Wyoming Office of Tourism. This grant is a benefit originating from the statewide lodging tax that was introduced in 2021. Each lodging tax board in Wyoming is eligible for a certain amount based on criteria established by the state. Albany County applies for the full $300,000 that we are allotted, with a long list of tourism infrastructure-related projects on the docket. In 2025 and 2026, new projects included:
 

• FY 2025 & 2026 Projects included:
• A full rebrand and overhaul of visual identity
• A new strategic plan through the state's WYBest program
• Print product redesigns, including our tear-off maps, mural map, and visitor guide
• TV Episode shoots including "Outdoor Eats," "The New Fly Fisher," and "Boondock Nation."
• Downtown winter lighting along the 3rd Street corridor
• Visitor Center improvements such as updated signage, updated Information awning, and street banners

• FY 2023 & 2024 Projects included:
• The Outlaw Trail Dinner & Show event
• Support for murals at Vedauwoo and the Snowy Range in partnership with USFS and Laramie Public Art Coalition
• Staffing the Centennial Visitor Center for the summer, fall, and winter seasons through partnerships with USFS, Common Outdoor Ground, and the University of Wyoming
• Purchasing credit card data for improved analysis of visitor spending behavior and economic impacts to Albany County
• Updating our website to include new web accessibility and inclusivity standards
• Adding community wayfinding signage throughout the City of Laramie for improved navigation, increased awareness of attractions, and beautifying our corridors and interstate exits
   

Future projects include working towards improved transit service for visitors to Albany County, support for new and existing winter events, and improving support for historic tours and signage for self-guided tours throughout Albany County.

Market Segments

Each year, the Visit Laramie team reviews the prior year's visitor traffic to determine where to run campaigns for the year ahead. In 2026, we continue to focus on key geographic markets including the Midwest and Rocky Mountain West. The upcoming year presents challenges in drive and fly market due to rising costs, so messaging will focus on budget destinations. We continue to put a focus on growth of the winter market as a key opportunity area, marketing for snowmobiling and budget ski stays.

Target markets include high-yield and targeted Denver metro zip codes, as well as emerging markets in Chicago, Kansas City, Lincoln/Omaha, Salt Lake City, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Chicago has seen strong growth and ROI from marketing investment, as well as Dallas-Fort Worth.

Partnership Programs

University of Wyoming ORTM Internship

Visit Laramie continues to partner with UW's Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management programs (ORTM). Each summer, we offer an internship to students to work in the Centennial Visitor Center to get hands-on experience in the industry. In 2026, we also worked with senior capstone students and assist with the Pulte Gateway to Hospitality Innovation Challenge. Our strong partnership with the University of Wyoming helps create a pipeline to Wyoming's strong hospitality workforce, from the frontline to management and entrepreneurship.

Certified Destination Expert Program (CDX)

Visit Laramie has launched the Certified Destination Expert Program in partnership with UW’s Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management program (ORTM) after working on the development of the program in 2022. This program, dubbed CDX for short, was designed for front-line staff members who interact with visitors across Albany County to help them build and share their knowledge about activities available within the area. The course includes information on hospitality and customer service, outdoor recreation, sports and education, art and cultural attractions, history and Western life, special events, food and beverage options, and lodging.

The course is online, self-paced, and offers access to resources that help participants learn best practices for the ultimate visitor experience. To learn more about the program and how you or your business can enroll, view the Certified Destination Expert program here.

Other Facts & Figures

• After launching the initiative using state Destination Development funds in summer 2023, in June 2024 we made staffing of the Centennial Visitor Center a permanent partnership with the local USFS office. Staffing the information center helps relieve the impact of tourism on Centennial area businesses, so they can focus on serving customers rather than answering informational questions.

• In July 2021, Visit Laramie moved the Visitor Center to a new location at 800 South 3rd Street. Foot traffic has continued to increase since the move.

• In 2023 and 2024, we partnered with Laramie Public Art Coalition and the US Forest Service to install 4 murals inside vault toilet bathrooms highlighting Responsible Recreation. All have been completed by local artists from Albany County, and it is the only initiative of its kind we have found.

• In 2026, our team sent over 2.1 million marketing emails with open and click-thru rates well above the industry average. Our email list serves over 60,000 active subscribers, helping to extend stays, inform visitors of events, and connect them with resources within the community.

The Albany County Tourism Board traditionally provides grant support for local nonprofits to put toward marketing events that draw outside visitation to Albany County. Starting in fiscal year 2025-2026, ACTB began a sponsorship and event incentive program in order to better support longstanding events in the community. This expands the number and types of events that can receive grant and sponsorship support, including youth sporting events, large conferences, and legacy community events.

To learn more about this process or to submit your own request, please visit our grant request page.

The Albany County Tourism Board runs on a Fiscal Year calendar starting July 1st and ending June 30th of the following year. Click below to view and download the report below for our most recent fiscal year.

Still looking for more information? To learn more about our board & team, mission, vision, values, and more, click the button below to learn more about us.