Destination Development Mentor Program
Program Overview
The Destination Development Mentor Program seeks to match destination organizations and industry association partners with experienced tourism consultants to provide expertise, resources, mentorship, and capacity building. Selected applications will receive 100 hours of consulting to advance priority projects through June 30, 2025.
The Destination Development Mentor Program provides an opportunity for destinations and industry associations to join the Colorado Tourism Office in its effort to advance destination stewardship and adopt recommendations identified from the Destination Stewardship Strategic Plan.
Program participants receive:
- Access to tourism subject matter experts and tourism resources
- Capacity to implement priority tourism projects
- Alignment with statewide tourism initiatives
Colorado destinations and industry associations that participated in previous Destination Development programs and/or last year’s Destination Development Mentor program are still eligible to apply.
Destinations that are currently participating this fiscal year in Destination Blueprint are not eligible to apply.
For more information, please review the recording of the Tuesday, September 17 informational webinar.
Overview
Type: Program
For: Destination organizations
Application deadline: Applications are now closed.
OEDIT division: Colorado Tourism Office
| Timeline: | Dates: |
|---|---|
| Application Open | Tuesday, September 17, 2024 |
| Application Close | Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 4 p.m. (MT) |
| Award notifications | November 7, 2024 |
| Mentors Assigned, Projects Scoped & Work Begins | November-December 2024 |
| Program Completed | June 2025 |
Eligible Colorado destination organizations include:
- Recipients of jurisdictional lodging taxes, such as:
- Destination marketing organizations
- Lodging tax boards, committees, or panels
- Other tourism leadership organizations that are responsible for developing, promoting, and managing tourism on behalf of a destination that does not have a lodging tax, such as:
- Chambers of commerce or chamber resort associations
- Government entities in Colorado (federally recognized tribes and local governments) engaged in tourism development, promotion, and management
Eligible Colorado tourism industry associations are defined as registered nonprofit trade organizations representing one or more tourism-related business sectors and representing a collection of tourism businesses within those sectors.
Nonprofit trade organizations that do not represent tourism-related business sectors or that provide services only to individuals, though critically important, are not the intended recipients of this program.
Colorado tourism destinations and industry associations that participated in previous Destination Development programs and/or last year’s Destination Development Mentor program are still eligible to apply.
Destinations that are currently participating this fiscal year in Destination Blueprint are not eligible to apply.
The following destinations and industry associations participated in the FY25 Destination Development Mentor Program:
- Alamosa Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology
- Chaffee County Visitors Bureau
- City of Fruita
- City of Ouray
- Custer County Tourism Board
- Hinsdale County
- Lake County
- Town of Hayden
- Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
- Visit Fort Collins
A panel of industry partners and Colorado Tourism Office staff reviews applications and recommends awards based on an understanding of priorities, capacity to participate, and demonstrated need. A representative from the Colorado Tourism Office will respond to your application within one month of the application deadline.
Applications are now closed.
Program Manager
