JACKSON HOLE, WYO – State officials made available an exhaustive report detailing the economic impact the Total Solar Eclipse (TSE) had on Wyoming, including an estimated $64.5 million boost in travel spending.
The Wyoming Office of Tourism 2017 Eclipse Economic Impact Study was prepared by Dean Runyan Associates. The 26-page summary report breaks down the five-day eclipse period from August 19-23, 2017, analyzing a variety of economic indicators and drilling deep on individual county-by-county stats.
Statewide, an estimated 261,100 people travelled to Wyoming specifically to see the solar eclipse in August. Most of those visitors spent the night (77.4%) and, on-average, they spent 4.1 days and 3.56 nights instate. TSE visitors spent an average of $930.93 while here—the largest proportion of this spending was on lodging ($369.80), followed by food and beverage ($200.43), and transportation ($147.40). An estimated 29,000 international travelers came to Wyoming to view the eclipse.
According to the report: “A total of $63.5 million in travel spending in the state of Wyoming can be attributed to the 2017 Solar Eclipse. The vast majority of this spending ($59.8 million) was made by out-of-state visitors. In-state travelers spent $3.6 million on eclipse related travel around the state. Similarly, the bulk of this spending, $60.6 million, is attributed to travelers staying overnight somewhere in Wyoming. Approximately $2.8 million was spent by day-trip travelers.”
For a state with 585,501 people as of July 2016, according to the US Census Bureau, an additional 261K represents almost half again what we see here in the Cowboy State on an everyday basis. Far from the doubling some predicted, but hefty numbers just the same.
“We knew that Wyoming was going to be the top destination for many people who wanted to view the total solar eclipse,” said Diane Shober, executive director for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, in a statement. “As a result of this study, we can confidently say that this year’s eclipse brought millions of dollars to Wyoming—in a five-day period out of a 31-day month—in travel expenditures and impacted every single county in our state.”
Despite advanced preparations that bordered on doomsday predictions, Teton County experienced strong numbers, easily leading the way for the other 22 counties in the state, and nine within the path of totality. The county racked up an estimated 99,100 visitor days, with eclipse tourists spending a total of $9.8M on some type of overnight accommodations. County coffers were boosted by $550,000 from tax receipts related to TSE 2017.
