From around the world to Thermopolis

by Jackie Dorothy

"I never saw Wyoming as a destination," admitted Jan Nijenhuis from Holland. "Thermopolis was a pleasant surprise and had a lot more variety than I expected."

Nijenhuis was one of 18 international tour operators on a whirlwind tour of Wyoming. The group was part of the International Roundup conference hosted by the Wyoming Office of Tourism and Rocky Mountain International this year in Casper and their final stop was Thermopolis this past Thursday, hosted by Hot Springs Travel & Tourism. It's anticipated the International Roundup will bring more than $100 million in visitor spending to the Cowboy State according to the Wyoming Office of Tourism.

These travel agents are looking for unique Western experiences to offer their clientele and say they found just that in Thermopolis and the Big Horn Basin. These are mostly small- to medium-sized companies that specialize in custom itineraries for individual clients. They represent travelers all around the world including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Australia.

"I was impressed by the openness of Wyoming," Kerryn Rainey of Sydney, Australia said, adding that she enjoyed her time in Thermopolis and hoped to be back for a longer stay.

After visiting Sheridan, the Big Horn Mountains, Greybull and Cody, the final stop before returning to Casper was Thermopolis. The tour started with American-style pizza and salads at P6 Pizza Station. From there, they made a quick stop at Merlin's Hide Out before heading over to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. The crowd favorites were the dinosaurs that had been discovered in Wyoming. The travel agents were also fascinated with the idea of digging up real fossilized bones for themselves at the center's dig site and working in the lab.

They took a brief break at Audra's Copper Coo for unique coffee and tea drinks before moving on to the Hot Springs County Museum for an outlaw history tour.

"It looked so small from the outside," Lasse Bakke from Caravelle Tours in Norway laughed, "and then there is so much that we couldn't see it all!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the Hot Springs State Park with Superintendent Chris Delay before eating dinner at the One Eyed Buffalo Restaurant, with the option to soak at the Star Plunge before calling it a night. The highlight for many was the next morning when they were able to see the State Bison Herd.

The tour ended with a short presentation by Eddie Cole of Ava's Silver & Rock Shop during breakfast in the historic 7 Lazy S Café where they also sampled Jackrabbit Coffee from the Storyteller.

Most of these travel agents and their clients are from metropolitan areas who want to visit rural areas to escape from the hectic pace of the city. Small town tourism is a trend that is growing in popularity internationally and they expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to explore Thermopolis.

"We feel very welcome here," Karen Ferrar from England said. "There are no skyscrapers and large crowds. It is very different from where I'm from and a nice change."

"It is good to see the area for ourselves," Bakke added. "We cannot sell a destination that we don't know anything about – and now we know what there is in Thermopolis that our clients will want to experience."