Overview

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

• establish a leadership structure to market and manage the destination
• build Nederland’s reputation as a responsible tourism destination
• identify opportunities to increase visitation during the off-peak seasons
• advance strategies that increase visitor satisfaction

Located in the Denver & Cities of the Rockies travel region, the Town of Nederland (Nederland) is situated along the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway. Nederland’s proximity to the front range makes it an accessible destination for stunning mountain scenery, notably a unique close-up look at the Continental Divide. In addition to its natural beauty, the destination provides a wealth of recreational, historical, dining, and retail opportunities for visitors. 

Nederland does not currently have a tourism budget, a Chamber of Commerce, or any other entity responsible for marketing or managing tourism for the destination. As a result of the Reimagine Destinations Program, Nederland staff will recommend that the Board of Trustees add a tourism line item into its 2023 budget.

Nederland was paired with Amy Cassidy, a CRAFT Workshop Facilitator with experience in tourism and outdoor recreation development, strategic planning, and marketing and communications to develop a destination assessment, facilitate a full-day community visioning and action planning workshop, and provide 100 hours of consulting to Nederland.

Nederland also convened a core team of tourism stakeholders to provide input throughout the design and delivery of the program. Nederland hosted three core team meetings to identify priority barriers and opportunities for advancing tourism, discuss the findings from the destination assessment, and guide workshop design.  

Destination Assessment and Workshop Results 

Nederland supported the development of a destination assessment consisting of background research, a visitor profile study, a resident sentiment survey, 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.

Nederland convened 18 tourism stakeholders on November 17, 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 the Town of Nederland, Nederland High School, trails organizations, nonprofit organizations, media, attractions, retail, and restaurants.

Workshop participants engaged in a small group activity to align on the future changes they would like to see implemented that benefit the tourism industry in Nederland. Overlapping themes from these discussions included identifying Nederland’s unique identity and ideal visitor, encouraging responsible and respectful visitation, and educating residents about the quality of life benefits that tourism provides Nederland. 

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:

• encourage responsible and respectful use 
• champion the value of community-based tourism 
• define Nederland’s identity 

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, understand community values to inform Nederland’s identity, and build Nederland’s reputation as a responsible tourism destination. 

Project objectives included:

• recommend a tourism leadership structure for Nederland 
• develop the foundation of a brand identity that summarizes Nederland’s community values and can lead to more formal brand identity development in the future
• develop a Do Nederland Right campaign to encourage responsible and respectful use that reflects Nederland’s community values

Nederland achieved the following results through the Reimagine Destinations Mentor project:

• job description for new Public Engagement Manager role that includes roles,  responsibilities, and requirements  
• press release and talking points to present the outcomes from Nederland’s Reimagine Destinations program participation 
• press release to announce the new Public Engagement Manager role 
• draft presentation content to present proposed Reimagine Destination program recommendations to Nederland Town Council that includes a new Tourism Advisory Subcommittee  
• Do Nederland Right campaign content that includes a logo, campaign themes, and messaging

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.