The first focus area highlights the essential role played by DMOs, nonprofit tourism leadership organizations and the CTO (collectively referred to as “industry leadership”) to manage, promote, and advance destination stewardship across the state. This area includes several strategies led by industry leadership, emphasizing the tourism industry’s involvement in each to actively engage visitors in destination stewardship initiatives.

This section begins with Foundational Strategies essential for laying the groundwork to incorporate destination stewardship elements into messaging and the overall traveler experience. For strategic clarity and focus, we condensed the traditional five-phase traveler buying cycle into three targeted phases for this plan:

  • Dreaming and Seeking Inspiration – This phase centers on capturing the attention of potential travelers through engaging digital media and compelling narratives, thoughtfully crafted by the CTO and DMOs to inspire visitation.
  • Planning and Booking – Combines the planning phase, where travelers gather inspiration and outline potential trip details, with the booking phase, when they finalize their itineraries and arrange destinations, activities, and accommodations.
  • Experiencing the Destination – Covers the actual travel and on-site experience, emphasizing the importance of engaging travelers with stewardship principles while they are in the destination.

This adjustment narrows the focus to those stages of the traveler’s journey where destination organizations can most effectively influence visitors through targeted communications and stewardship-focused materials.

Within each phase, we outline strategies and programs through which industry leadership seeks to inspire and influence travelers to actively engage in and support destination stewardship efforts. This comprehensive approach integrates stewardship as foundational to operations and an integral part of the travel experience. It aims to deepen travelers’ connection with Colorado’s diverse and scenic destinations while promoting responsible traveler behavior and fostering positive change.