Tourism boom fuels increase in Wyoming's taxable sales
19 Oct 2021
News
After declines in five consecutive quarters, total taxable sales in the state expanded 12.1% in the second quarter of 2021 compared with 2020, largely due to the record-breaking boom in tourism at Wyoming’s national parks, according to a year-by-year comparison recently released by the Wyoming Department of Revenue.
Teton and Park counties experienced the greatest percent increase in taxable sales, at 87.2% and 34.4%, respectively. Ninety-six percent of Yellowstone National Park is spread over Teton and Park counties. Teton County also contains Grand Teton National Park, which contributed to the growth.
Visitation to Yellowstone increased 138.8% from the previous year, while visitation to Grand Teton National Park showed an increase of 103.3%, making 2021 the highest visitation numbers in second quarter history. The trend can “mostly [be] attributed to visitors’ outdoor sightseeing preference and the general booming travel & tourism activities from the pent up demand,” said Dr. Wenlin Liu, chief economist with Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis.
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