CTO Supports Alpine Loop Communities with First Regional “Do Colorado Right” Campaign
Protecting Colorado’s alpine landscapes and communities through regional collaboration.
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) partnered with the three gateway communities of Lake City / Hinsdale County, Ouray and Silverton, longtime collaborators on managing visitor impacts along the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, to launch the first regionally connected “Do Colorado Right” campaign. This initiative encourages responsible visitation through localized stewardship messaging while creating consistency across the byway, building on the CTO’s award-winning responsible tourism program.
To support their efforts, Lake City/Hinsdale County, Ouray and Silverton tapped two of the CTO’s technical assistance programs: the Destination Blueprint Program and Destination Development Mentor Program. These programs connect destinations with experienced consultants who provide guidance in developing, evaluating and expanding local stewardship strategies.
Across Colorado, 21 customized “Do Colorado Right” campaigns are already engaging visitors and residents in caring for natural landscapes, local communities and cultural heritage. These efforts advance strategies in the CTO’s Statewide Destination Stewardship Strategic Plan to encourage responsible visitation in communities and to expand “Do Colorado Right” campaigns on public lands.
“Do Silverton Right” Addresses Visitor Impacts
The Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce (Silverton Chamber) applied for the CTO’s Destination Blueprint Program when town officials, residents and land managers shared concerns about visitor impacts to the downtown area, wildlife and outlying public lands.
Starting in July 2024, the CTO supported the Silverton Chamber in assembling a core team of local tourism leaders for input on a destination assessment. Next, a community visioning and action planning workshop aligned stakeholders on tourism priorities, which led to a destination stewardship action plan.
Utilizing 100 hours of mentoring from a CTO consultant, the Silverton Chamber created “Do Silverton Right” campaign messaging with the following themes: Embrace our place and our pace, plan smart for all conditions, properly dispose of trash and waste, protect wildlife, motor on with care when riding off-highway vehicles, camp and adventure smart and be prepared for winter.
Campaign materials—including social media posts, web copy, emails—are geared to visitors, residents, local businesses and tourism partners. In future months, the Silverton Chamber will evaluate messaging effectiveness and adjust as needed, as well as follow up with local partners to determine what other tools may help inform visitors.
“With the ever-growing amount of visitors, the small hamlet of Silverton and its 800 residents struggle to maintain, protect and preserve these public lands,” said DeAnne Gallegos, executive director at the Silverton Chamber of Commerce. “Partnering with the CTO was exactly what our tourism community and economy needed. The “Do Silverton Right” campaign focuses on sustainable tourism practices and talking points, which in turn promote and protect our tourism economy.”
“Do Lake City Right” Reaches Visitors and Residents
In another community, after local land managers expressed concerns about increasing impacts to natural resources, the Lake City / Hinsdale County Marketing Committee (LCHCMC) took action. The LCHCMC was accepted into the CTO’s Destination Development Mentor Program, which offers the capacity to implement priority tourism projects and align with statewide tourism initiatives. Work began in November 2024. With CTO support, the LCHCMC designed and conducted surveys and interviews in Lake City and on public lands to identify priority visitor use impacts.
Six themes emerged for a “Do Lake City Right” campaign. Partners, tourism stakeholders and the CTO’s marketing team collaborated to craft language that encourages everyone to “Love Lake City,” embracing the place and slow pace, protect wildlife, camp smart, plan ahead for all conditions, motor on with care and treat the tundra lightly.
While visitors are the primary audience, residents make up a secondary audience. For both groups, the LCHCMC is distributing messaging through its website, visitor guide, flyers, postcards and local media, as well as on coasters. The organization also reached residents through educational materials shared with community organizations, government entities, elected officials and tourism partners.
“Though we’re in the early stages of our ‘Do Lake City Right’ initiative, we’re already excited to see community buy-in from both residents and visitors,” said Kate Hopson, marketing consultant to the LCHCMC. “Our educational resources create a shared understanding of destination stewardship and help preserve what makes Lake City special—our stunning 96% public lands and unique mountain character. By proactively addressing these specific concerns through our localized campaign, we’re building a foundation where tourism can thrive in harmony with our community values and natural environment.”
New Research Refines “Do Ouray Right” Direction
The City of Ouray created its “Do Ouray Right” campaign in early 2023, with the help of a CTO Destination Development Program. The destination launched a tourism ambassador program in summer 2023 through a CTO Tourism Management Grant and distributed a series of “Do Ouray Right” videos through the CTO Tourism Social Media Co-op in 2024. These efforts are featured on CTOStewardship.com in “Community Input Guides Strategy at Visit Ouray.”
In November 2024, the City of Ouray joined the CTO’s Destination Development Mentor Program to better leverage these programs. Three surveys sought to better understand resident sentiment around tourism, local business needs and visitor behaviors.
The resident sentiment survey asked how tourism affects residents’ quality of life, perceptions of crowding, economic opportunity, public services and access to attractions. Questions also explored residents’ awareness of Visit Ouray and the “Do Ouray Right” trailhead ambassador program.
Tourism stakeholder survey results highlighted visitation patterns, revenue trends, businesses’ top five priorities and concerns for the year ahead, as well as perceptions of Visit Ouray’s efforts. Visitor survey findings reveal top seasons and reasons for visiting, top activities experienced, nearby destinations visited, visitor satisfaction and trip planning resources used.
“The survey results showed that while residents are generally supportive of the ‘Do Ouray Right’ campaign, many are still unaware of the ambassador program, and tourism stakeholders showed even lower levels of awareness,” said Kailey Rhoten, MBA, tourism and destination marketing director with Visit Ouray. Nearly half of visitors expressed possible interest in volunteering during their stay. “This feedback gives clear direction on where to focus future outreach—raising local and industry awareness about the ambassador program and expanding opportunities for visitors to contribute to community clean-up, infrastructure support and sustainability education,” Rhoten said.
Together, these three destinations are raising awareness of how to care for Colorado, engaging visitors and residents in protecting what makes the Centennial State special.
Share Your Success Story
Do you have a Colorado destination stewardship success story? Please send it to the CTO so that we can share your learnings with tourism partners statewide.
