DENVER - Thurs., May 26, 2016 - The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) will host eight public input sessions in cities, mountain towns and the plains in the coming weeks to gain insight into opportunities to maximize the benefit of tourism for communities throughout Colorado.
These sessions are the starting point for an eight-month project to develop the Colorado Tourism Roadmap, a statewide strategic plan for Colorado's tourism industry. Anyone with a stake in the future of Colorado tourism, including community leaders and elected officials, is invited to attend and participate in the facilitated discussions.
"This is a chance for Coloradans across the state to share their voices on how to maximize the benefit of one of the most important industries in Colorado," said Cathy Ritter, director of the CTO. "We hope participants will bring their thoughts about challenges that need to be addressed as well as opportunities to drive even more long-term benefits for our state."
The three-hour input sessions will be led by Mitch Nichols, president of Nichols Tourism Group of Bellingham, WA, which is leading the development of the strategic roadmap aimed at maximizing Colorado's tourism potential. Nichols is leading a consulting team that also includes the Radcliffe Company of Spokane, WA and the National Laboratory of Tourism and e-Commerce, based at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Findings from the public input sessions will be used to develop a State of the Industry Report, which will be shared at Colorado's Governor's Tourism Conference, Sept. 14-16 in Breckenridge. Following the conference, the consultants will develop draft recommendations for a strategic plan that will be shared in a subsequent round of public sessions in a different set of Colorado communities. Throughout the roadmap process, the CTO will be seeking public input through http://industry.colorado.com.
The eight stops for the first round of input sessions:
* 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1 at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs
* 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, June 2 at the Koshare Museum and Trading Post in La Junta
* 8 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 8 at The Hotel Denver in Glenwood Springs
* 2 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8 at location TBD in Silverthorne
* 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley
* 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 10 at the History Colorado Center in Denver
* 2 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29 at location TBD in Telluride
* 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, June 30 at location TBD in Alamosa
In 2014, Colorado set all-time records welcoming 71.3 million visitors to the state who spent $18.6 billion and generated $1.1 billion in tax revenue.
For the most up-to-date information and details about the public input sessions, please visit http://industry.colorado.com.
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Office of Gov. John Hickenlooper
Office of Economic Development
& International Trade
Holly Shrewsbury, 303-892-3847
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Carly Holbrook, 720-289-9366
[email protected]