Situational Analysis

The Great West region offers a diverse landscape of warm hospitality, rich western history, and agricultural heritage. Economically diverse, it encompasses prominent resort towns like Steamboat Springs and Winter Park, which serve as economic tourism engines for the region. However, rural areas face socio-economic shifts with fewer local jobs and diminishing rural traditions, while resort communities grapple with rising housing costs and pressures on public lands. This regional destination stewardship plan aims to address these challenges by harnessing the region’s resilient spirit and community strengths to create a sustainable framework for northwest Colorado’s future.

The destination stewardship priority strategies identified through stakeholder consultations for this region include

  1. Promote Water Conservation and River-Based Economic Vitality

  2. Create More Job Opportunities Closer to Home
  3. Connect The Great West via Train
  4. Identify Solutions for Workforce Housing and Affordability
  5. Improve Outdoor Recreation Behavior of Visitors and Residents
  6. Enhance Rural Destinations Appeal and Access to Markets
  7. Champion Wildlife Habitat Protection and Restoration

Tourism Assets and Infrastructure

  • Commercial airports: Yampa Valley Regional Airport, Rifle Garfield County Airport
  • Amtrak Stations: Fraser-Winter Park, Granby
  • Major Roads: US Route 40, SH-13, SH-64, SH-139, SH-131
  • Scenic and Historic Byways: Dinosaur Diamond, Flat Tops Trail, Cache La Poudre-North Park, Colorado River Headwaters
  • National Public Lands (parks/historic sites): Dinosaur National Monument
  • Main Streets: Granby, Meeker, Rangely, Steamboat Springs
  • Creative Districts: Grand Lake, Steamboat Springs
  • State Parks: Elkhead Reservoir, Harvey Gap, Highline Lake, Pearl Lake, Rifle Gap, Rifle Falls, Stagecoach, Steamboat Lake, State Forest, Yampa River
  • National Wildlife Refuge: Arapaho, Browns Park
  • State Wildlife Areas: 12

Economic Impact of Tourism in 2023

  • Visitor Spending: $1.4B
  • Other Visitor Spending: $13.1M
  • Total Travel Spending: $1.4B
  • Travel Industry Earnings: $533.5M
  • Employment: 10,400 jobs
  • Local Tax: $59.9M
  • State Tax: $36.9M
  • Total Tax: $96.8M

The Economic Impact of Travel in Colorado / 2023p / Prepared by Dean Runyan Associates

Destination Stewardship Partners

The Great West boasts a wide array of organizations actively promoting destination stewardship within the region. Given its expansive geography and diverse geological makeup, these organizations typically operate at the municipal level rather than across the entire region. Please refer to Annex 2 for a comprehensive list of organizations and partners contributing to regional efforts.

Strategic Planning Process

The destination stewardship strategic planning process for The Great West travel region involved extensive consultations with stakeholders to understand their perspectives and priorities, garner broad-based support, and align the plan with their needs and expectations. This was accomplished through a series of in-person workshops, interviews, webinars, and surveys conducted from July 2023 through June 2024. Stakeholders actively participated and contributed to the development of the regional plan through these engagement methods:

July – September 2023: Introductory Meetings

During this initial phase, an introductory webinar was conducted in each region to introduce the destination stewardship strategic planning initiative and engage participants in identifying the key priorities throughout the state.

September – October 2023: Regional Workshops

Regional workshops were held in Meeker and Granby to gather further input on priority issues and potential solutions.

August – November 2023: Stakeholder Interviews

Through one-on-one conversations, the regional facilitator delved deeper into the priority issues to understand the root causes, the current efforts to address them, and future opportunities.

December 2023: Stakeholder Survey

An online survey was offered to tourism stakeholders and community members to increase awareness of the strategic planning process, encourage broader participation, and gather additional input on future priorities and opportunities for tourism.

April 2024: Regional Presentation and Roadshow

A regional presentation was held in Granby, accompanied by a “roadshow” featuring a series of focused discussions and meetings. These meetings provided an overview of the draft statewide strategy and allowed attendees to discuss region-specific strategies and priorities for inclusion in the draft plan.

June 2024: Public Feedback Process

The draft plan was made available online, giving stakeholders the opportunity to provide comments and suggestions before finalization.

Key Metrics:

  • 22 individual stakeholder Interviews
  • 64 attendees across three workshops
  • 5 individuals consulted during roadshow meetings

Acknowledgments

The development of a Destination Stewardship Strategic Plan for The Great West travel region was a collective undertaking of over 200 stakeholders throughout the region. We express our profound appreciation to all individuals who played a pivotal role, including representatives from government agencies, destination management/marketing organization (DMO) partners, industry associations, tourism stakeholders, and residents. Through virtual meetings, workshops, interviews, and surveys, you generously shared your expertise, perspectives, and vision, shaping a comprehensive strategy that reflects our collective aspirations for destination stewardship. Special recognition is also extended to the members of the Destination Stewardship Council (DSC), whose guidance and leadership steered the process with wisdom and foresight.

The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) also extends our gratitude to Solimar International and their team of regional consultants for facilitating the development of the Colorado Destination Stewardship Strategic Plan and eight Regional Plans. Their dedication and expertise were instrumental in guiding us through a comprehensive and inclusive stakeholder consultation process, resulting in a plan reflective of the perspectives and voices of stakeholders.

Solimar International Team

  • Derek Schimmel, Great West Regional Facilitator
  • Chris Seek, Team Leader
  • Natalie Sellier, Project Manager

The development of the regional Destination Stewardship Strategic Plans was made possible through the generous grant funding of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.