Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism (CRAFT)
Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism
The Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism (CRAFT) was a series of programs that helped communities integrate tourism into their economic development strategies.
Focusing on cultural tourism, culinary and agritourism, outdoor recreation, tourism marketing and visitor management, CRAFT helped rural tourism partners to:
- increase collaboration between diverse stakeholders within a destination to build relationships and trust
- engage in group discussions about the changes you want to see in your destination
- identify short, medium, and long term strategies to realize this change
- prioritize short term strategies and develop collaborative work plans to implement them
The goals of CRAFT included:
- increased tourism knowledge and related skills
- increased collaboration and capacity to manage tourism
- increased access to funding and technical assistance to advance tourism projects
- enhanced visitor readiness and visitor experience
- enhanced reputation through increased promotion
The Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism (CRAFT) is no longer active and was only available from 2014 to 2021. Follow this link to learn more about active Colorado Tourism Office Destination Development programs.
Overview
Type: Four programs
For: Destinations, industry associations, and businesses
Application deadline: This program is no longer active
OEDIT division: Colorado Tourism Office
CRAFT Programs
CRAFT Studio 101
This program supported destinations that were in the early stages of integrating tourism into their economic development strategies by providing tourism education and training. Participants received $10,000 of implementation funding upon completion.
CRAFT Workshops
These workshops provided training and facilitated discussions for tourism destinations that wanted to advance a tourism-related strategy relating to a specific industry segment or visitor experience. Participants received $2,500 of implementation funding upon completion.
CRAFT Studio 201
This program provided 100 hours of customized mentoring for tourism destinations that wanted to advance a specific tourism-related goal or strategy. Participants received $7,500 of implementation funding upon completion.
CRAFT Mentor
This program provided up to 50 hours of mentoring for tourism-related entities that wanted to advance a specific tourism-related goal or strategy. Participants received $1,000 of implementation funding upon completion.