Overview

The City of Woodland Park was approved to participate in the Reimagine Destinations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office in July 2022. Program objectives included: 

• celebrate the results of the Restart Destinations Program and foster collaboration between Woodland Park tourism stakeholders
• receive input and buy-in from local tourism stakeholders to establish a tourism leadership structure and alignment on a strategic tourism plan 
• assist with the creation of an Economic Development Director position, establish a Tourism Advisory Board, and secure sustainable funding

Located in the Pikes Peak Wonders region, the City of Woodland Park is known as the City Above the Clouds and is popular for its scenic views of Pikes Peak and its abundance of public lands and access to outdoor recreation. City of Woodland Park (Woodland Park) manages the city’s 5.7% lodging tax, which is used to advance tourism marketing and community projects.

Woodland Park was paired with Beth Wright, a sustainable tourism consultant with wide-ranging destination development and management experience, to develop a recovery assessment, facilitate a community visioning and action planning workshop, and provide 100 hours of consulting to Woodland Park.

Woodland Park conducted four planning meetings to validate the purpose of the program, identify priority barriers and opportunities for advancing the objectives, discuss the findings from the destination assessment, and design the workshop agenda. 

Destination Assessment and Workshop Results 

The City Woodland Park supported the development of a destination assessment consisting of background research, a visitor profile study, a tourism stakeholder survey, and input from the core team. The findings from the assessment were compiled into a report that informed the design of the full-day workshop.

Woodland Park convened twelve tourism stakeholders on October 4, 2022 for a community visioning and action planning workshop to review the destination assessment and align on priority actions for fostering long-term industry resilience. Workshop participants represented a wide range of tourism stakeholders, including public officials, and representatives from public lands and parks, accommodations, retail, the Chamber of Commerce, the Main Street program, the library, and local law enforcement. 

Workshop participants engaged in a small group activity to validate the priorities and recommended actions that were produced during the Restart Destinations Program and to align on the future changes they would like to see implemented that benefit the tourism industry in Woodland Park. Overlapping themes from these discussions included support for a new tourism leadership structure, the need for a Woodland Park brand identity, interest in attracting more responsible and respectful visitors, the need to engage more private sector stakeholders, and the need to educate visitors and residents about responsible and respectful use of the community and its public lands. 

As a result of the workshop discussions, participants aligned on key priorities and action items to inform the development of an action plan. Key priorities include:

• establish a tourism leadership structure
• champion the value of tourism
• encourage responsible and respectful visitation
• advance tourism workforce
• develop and enhance visitor experience

 CRAFT Mentor Results

Following the workshop, 100 hours of consulting were provided to conduct the activities listed below. The purpose of this CRAFT Mentor Project was to establish a tourism leadership structure, improve visitor management strategies through responsible and respectful use messaging, and foster collaboration between Woodland Park tourism stakeholders.

Project objectives included:

• support the establishment of a new tourism leadership structure for Woodland Park
• prepare Woodland Park and key stakeholders to establish a brand identity for the community that inspires place-keeping and includes a set of community values
• develop a responsible and respectful use campaign by convening outdoor recreation stakeholders to understand priority impacts on public lands
• develop a tourism asset inventory with descriptions to promote attractions, experiences, and services in Woodland Park

The City of Woodland Park achieved the following results through the Reimagine Destinations Mentor project:

• position description for the Woodland Park Economic Development Director that includes roles, responsibilities, and requirements   
• Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) bylaws and board member onboarding manual 
• Do Woodland Park Right campaign assets that includes a customized logo and approved messaging
• brand identity and marketing strategy resources that includes a brand development presentation with Woodland Park community values and a draft request for proposal (RFP) for a marketing and branding vendor 
• tourism asset inventory and draft content for a centralized tourism website that includes descriptions, addresses, and website links 
• tourism stakeholder map and resource library that includes reports, plans, assessments, and learning tools 

About Reimagine Destinations Program

The Reimagine Destinations Program supports Colorado tourism destinations to foster long-term industry resilience. Awarded destinations receive a destination assessment, a full-day workshop, 100 hours of consulting, and a $20,000 creative asset production shoot from the Colorado Tourism Office. This program was made possible by a CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.