Overview

Santa Fe Tail Scenic & Historic Byway (SFTSHB) was approved to participate in the Reimagine Industry Associations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office in October 2022. 

The purpose of SFTSHB is to protect and preserve the historic sites and resources along the Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway (Santa Fe Trail), while also building awareness of regional heritage tourism attractions to drive visitation along the byway in the Canyons & Plains travel region. With a reach of 26 committee members, SFTSHB is managed and overseen by the Canyons & Plains Regional Heritage Taskforce, which focuses on increasing recognition and appreciation of the multi-cultural heritage in its communities within the corridor.

SFTSHB was paired with Sarah-Jane Johnson, a CRAFT Mentor with experience in rural tourism development, sustainable tourism management, tourism marketing, and public relations, to deliver 75 hours of consulting to conduct the activities listed below.

The purpose of this project was to build upon the success of the Restart Industry Associations program, which included foundational content for the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) and project management support for the SFTSHB signage inventory project. An additional purpose was to develop new website content to increase the online presence of the SFTSHB and provide better and more expansive visitor information for trip-planning around the byway. 

Project objectives included: 

• develop a framework and web page content in preparation for the development of the new microsite
• develop a list of recommended images and b-roll videography for the creative asset production shoot 
• facilitate and manage the SFTSHB signage inventory project

SFTSHB achieved the following results with its Reimagine Industry Associations Mentor:

• microsite framework and draft content for the homepage, byway administration, history, trip tips, etc.
• signage inventory information session for stakeholders to provide guidance on the inventory process
• signage inventory tools to inform next steps for volunteers and stakeholders that includes a work plan and signage inventory catalog
• list of recommended b-roll videography for the creative asset production shoot  

“The Reimagine Industry Associations program has helped our Byway move forward with both a major signage inventory project and a new Byway microsite under the canyonsandplains.org website. Both these projects will ultimately aid visitors seeking to travel and enjoy our Byway.”

— LaDonna Hutton, Santa Fe Tail Scenic & Historic Byway

About Reimagine Industry Associations Program

The Reimagine Industry Associations Program supports Colorado tourism industry associations to foster long-term resilience. Awarded industry associations receive 75 hours of consulting and a $10,000 creative asset production shoot from the Colorado Tourism Office.