Cheyenne, WY, (May 1, 2019) – Casper, Wyoming was announced as the location for the 2020 International Roundup (IRU) tourism tradeshow event last night at an evening banquet held in Spearfish, South Dakota. The event will bring in international travel planners and tour operators – from seven overseas markets who specialize in selling all-inclusive travel itineraries through the five-state region of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota – to Casper, April 26-29, 2020.
“This is an incredible opportunity to introduce Casper and Natrona County to an international audience,” said Brook Kaufman, CEO of Visit Casper. “Casper sits at the epicenter of some of the most incredible history in the American West. Having IRU in Casper—and in Wyoming—gives us a chance to grow international travel, while introducing attendees to experiences that make the Cowboy State and The Great American West a destination unlike any other.”
The 2020 IRU event hosted by the Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the Wyoming Office of Tourism and Rocky Mountain International (RMI), is expected to provide a long-term economic boost for the region. More than 100 regional suppliers and 40 international tour operators will attend the multi-day event that includes over 3,600 pre-scheduled appointments that help to contribute to the estimated $123.7 million in visitor spend to the five-state region, including $59.3 million to Wyoming.
“The last time this event was in Casper was in 2008,” Mathias Jung, CEO, RMI said. “With all of the new amenities and attractions that have opened in the last decade, it’s time to showcase what Casper is today to the global travel industry.”
The exclusive IRU event is a unique opportunity for regional suppliers within the region to meet one-on-one with international tour operators from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Nordics, Benelux and Italy to conduct business negotiations that would otherwise be generated only through substantial individual investment and an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips.
International tour operators who sell travel packages to the five-state region, branded overseas as “The Great American West,” are invited to attend the event to enhance their product base and knowledge of the area. Many of the operators who attend are small-to-medium-sized companies who specialize in tailor-made fly and drive itineraries for individual clients. This event allows tour operators to provide unique experiences in this region of the U.S., customized to fit the needs and wants for their clients, while at the same time providing an efficient and practical way for region suppliers to promote their tourism products to an international audience.
The 2020 event will be open to regional suppliers for early registration in October and attendees are encouraged to register early to confirm their spot at this exclusive event. To learn more about International Roundup, visit InternationalRoundup.com.