Northwest Cultural Heritage Program (NWCOCHP) was approved to participate in the Restart Industry Associations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) in September 2021.
The purpose of the NWCOCHP is to collaboratively interpret the vast heritage of Northwest Colorado and to generate economic vitality by imparting the legacy and stories of the region and its communities. The NWCOCHP manages the Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway (FTTSB). As a result, the NWCOCHP is in the process of updating the byway's Corridor Management Plan (CMP), and convening a stakeholder group that will work to increase tourism-driven economic opportunities.
NWCOCHP was paired with Sarah-Jane Johnson, a CRAFT Mentor from the Tourism Consulting Collaborative, with experience in rural destination development, tourism marketing and communications, and stakeholder engagement, to deliver 75 hours of free consulting to conduct the activities listed below.
The purpose of this project was to provide marketing expertise to the FTTSB to produce the development of a marketing strategy and framework for the CMP. Additional areas of assistance were to support stakeholders in the development of new and innovative marketing collateral.
Project objectives included:
- develop content for the marketing sections of the CMP that includes a work plan, content calendar, and successful examples of other byway marketing efforts
- develop foundational content to produce marketing collateral that includes draft content, budget, and work plan
- deliver a 1-hour training session for the FTTSB committee members to share the marketing plan and best practices for implementation
NWCOCHP achieved the following results with its Restart Industry Associations Mentor:
- draft of the FTTSB CMP marketing section that includes goals, objectives, strategy, and tactics
- case studies presentation of marketing practices by relevant byway organizations
- toolkit to launch a TravelStorys mobile app that includes a budget, implementation work plan, and 20 points of interest with corresponding itinerary information
- marketing implementation overview designed as a training presentation for FTTSB committee members
About Restart Industry Associations Program
The Restart Industry Associations Program supports Colorado tourism industry associations to drive faster recovery as they emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded industry associations receive 75 hours of free consulting and $10,000 in direct marketing support from the Colorado Tourism Office. This program was made possible by a CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.