DATO’S Strategic Plan to Attract Visitors

THE DURANGO AREA TOURISM OFFICE FINDS ITSELF TORN BETWEEN PROMOTING TRAVEL TO THE AREA AND ENSURING THE COMMUNITY’S SAFETY, BUT TOURISM OFFICIALS SAY DURANGO ACTUALLY IS THE PERFECT, SAFE, POST-SHUTDOWN DESTINATION FOR VACATIONERS AND THE COMMUNITY. YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK, BROUGHT TO YOU BY SERIOUS TEXAS BARBECUE. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. AS COLORADO AND DURANGO TRY TO RE-OPEN FOR BUSINESS FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 SHUTDOWN IN APRIL AND MAY, THE DURANGO AREA TOURISM OFFICE IS TAKING A SAFETY-FIRST APPROACH WITH ITS MARKETING EFFORTS. DATO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RACHEL BROWN WILL PRESENT DURANGO’S TOURISM RECOVERY STRATEGY AT NOON ON WEDNESDAY DURING A VIRTUAL LUNCH AND LEARN HOSTED BY THE DURANGO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THE EVENT IS FREE, BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. THE U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION PREDICTS THAT THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY WILL SUFFER A 45 PERCENT DECLINE IN REVENUES IN 2020. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT TRAVELERS WHO’VE BEEN STUCK AT HOME FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS ARE EAGER TO GET AWAY, AND THEY MOST LIKELY WILL TRAVEL BY CAR. THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR DURANGO, SAYS BROWN, BECAUSE THE REGION’S SCENIC DRIVES AND OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPPORTUNITIES OFFER ROAD-TRIPPERS A SAFE AND FUN WAY TO ESCAPE. IN A SURVEY OF FOURTEEN HUNDRED POTENTIAL VISITORS, DATO FOUND THAT 65 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY FELT SAFE ABOUT TRAVELING TO DURANGO TWO MONTHS AFTER THE STAY-AT-HOME RESTRICTIONS WERE LIFTED, AND 83 PERCENT SAID THEY’D TRAVEL BY CAR. BASED ON THE SURVEY DATA AND TOURISM TRENDS PREDICTED NATIONALLY, DATO HAS DEVELOPED A THREE-PHASED RECOVERY PLAN THAT GRADUALLY EXTENDS ITS MARKETING REACH FROM THE  LOCAL DRIVE MARKET TO DIRECT-FLIGHT DESTINATION TRAVELERS FROM DENVER, CHICAGO, PHOENIX, DALLAS, AND HOUSTON. THE FIRST PHASE FOCUSES ON TRAVELER AND COMMUNITY SAFETY WHILE KEEPING DURANGO TOP OF MIND AS A VACATION DESTINATION.FIND YOUR ESCAPE IS ANOTHER CAMPAIGN THAT WE’LL BE RUNNING RIGHT NOW. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PENT UP. THEY HAVE CABIN FEVER, THEY WANT TO ESCAPE. THEY WANT TO TRAVEL, BUT TO A SAFE DESTINATION. SO WE ARE RURAL HERE, WE’RE REMOTE. AND WE HAVE TONS OF OUTDOOR RECREATION, WHICH IS REALLY APPEALING TO PEOPLE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT’S EASY TO SOCIAL DISTANCE WHEN YOU’RE DOING OUTDOOR RECREATION, LIKE HIKING, BIKING, KAYAKING, CAMPING, ET CETERA. THE SECOND PHASE, WHICH DATO PLANS TO LAUNCH IN JULY, WILL EXTEND MARKETING EFFORTS TO REACH TRAVEL AUDIENCES WITHIN A 10-HOUR DRIVE OF DURANGO. IT ALSO WILL BEGIN PROMOTING MORE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING DINING AND SHOPPING IN DURANGO, PURGATORY RESORT’S SUMMER ACTIVITIES, AND TRAIN EXCURSIONS.NORMALLY WE DO ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF HOURS, BUT WE THINK IN THIS NEW CLIMATE, PEOPLE WILL BE WILLING TO DRIVE A LOT FURTHER FOR THEIR VACATIONS AND ROAD TRIPS ARE GOING TO BE MAKING A BIG COMEBACK THIS YEAR. AND IN SEPTEMBER, DATO WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE REGIONAL, OUT-OF-STATE DRIVE MARKET WHILE ADDING EFFORTS TO ATTRACT TRAVELERS IN CITIES THAT HAVE DIRECT FLIGHTS TO DURANGO, INCLUDING DENVER, CHICAGO, PHOENIX, DALLAS AND HOUSTON. BROWN SAYS THAT TOURISM TRAFFIC ALREADY HAS STARTED TO PICK UP FOR THE SEASON, AND TRAVELERS HAVE STARTED DROPPING BY THE DURANGO VISITORS CENTER WHICH OPENED EARLIER THIS MONTH WITH SOCIAL-DISTANCING MEASURES IN PLACE. AND PEOPLE ARE EAGER TO RETURN TO DURANGO. SEVENTY-ONE PERCENT OF CALLERS AND WEB-SITE VISITORS HAVE REPORTED THAT THEY PLAN TO RESCHEDULE THEIR VACATIONS TO DURANGO THIS YEAR.WHEN PEOPLE CALL OUR WELCOME CENTER OR LIVE CHAT US ON OUR WEBSITE, THEY’RE JUST ASKING, WHEN CAN I COME? WHAT’S OPEN? CAMPING QUESTIONS. THEY’RE JUST REALLY EAGER TO COME BACK, AND THEY MISS THEIR DURANGO VACATIONS.IF YOU’D LIKE MORE DETAILS ON DATO’S VISIT DURANGO MARKETING RECOVERY PLAN, REGISTER FOR THE VIRTUAL LUNCH AND LEARN AT DURANGO BUSINESS DOT ORG. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE FOR THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. THANKS FOR WATCHING!THE DURANGO AREA TOURISM OFFICE FINDS ITSELF TORN BETWEEN PROMOTING TRAVEL TO THE AREA AND ENSURING THE COMMUNITY’S SAFETY, BUT TOURISM OFFICIALS SAY DURANGO ACTUALLY IS THE PERFECT, SAFE, POST-SHUTDOWN DESTINATION FOR VACATIONERS AND THE COMMUNITY. YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK, BROUGHT TO YOU BY SERIOUS TEXAS BARBECUE. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. AS COLORADO AND DURANGO TRY TO RE-OPEN FOR BUSINESS FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 SHUTDOWN IN APRIL AND MAY, THE DURANGO AREA TOURISM OFFICE IS TAKING A SAFETY-FIRST APPROACH WITH ITS MARKETING EFFORTS. DATO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RACHEL BROWN WILL PRESENT DURANGO’S TOURISM RECOVERY STRATEGY AT NOON ON WEDNESDAY DURING A VIRTUAL LUNCH AND LEARN HOSTED BY THE DURANGO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THE EVENT IS FREE, BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. THE U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION PREDICTS THAT THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY WILL SUFFER A 45 PERCENT DECLINE IN REVENUES IN 2020. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT TRAVELERS WHO’VE BEEN STUCK AT HOME FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS ARE EAGER TO GET AWAY, AND THEY MOST LIKELY WILL TRAVEL BY CAR. THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR DURANGO, SAYS BROWN, BECAUSE THE REGION’S SCENIC DRIVES AND OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPPORTUNITIES OFFER ROAD-TRIPPERS A SAFE AND FUN WAY TO ESCAPE. IN A SURVEY OF FOURTEEN HUNDRED POTENTIAL VISITORS, DATO FOUND THAT 65 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY FELT SAFE ABOUT TRAVELING TO DURANGO TWO MONTHS AFTER THE STAY-AT-HOME RESTRICTIONS WERE LIFTED, AND 83 PERCENT SAID THEY’D TRAVEL BY CAR. BASED ON THE SURVEY DATA AND TOURISM TRENDS PREDICTED NATIONALLY, DATO HAS DEVELOPED A THREE-PHASED RECOVERY PLAN THAT GRADUALLY EXTENDS ITS MARKETING REACH FROM THE  LOCAL DRIVE MARKET TO DIRECT-FLIGHT DESTINATION TRAVELERS FROM DENVER, CHICAGO, PHOENIX, DALLAS, AND HOUSTON. THE FIRST PHASE FOCUSES ON TRAVELER AND COMMUNITY SAFETY WHILE KEEPING DURANGO TOP OF MIND AS A VACATION DESTINATION.FIND YOUR ESCAPE IS ANOTHER CAMPAIGN THAT WE’LL BE RUNNING RIGHT NOW. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PENT UP. THEY HAVE CABIN FEVER, THEY WANT TO ESCAPE. THEY WANT TO TRAVEL, BUT TO A SAFE DESTINATION. SO WE ARE RURAL HERE, WE’RE REMOTE. AND WE HAVE TONS OF OUTDOOR RECREATION, WHICH IS REALLY APPEALING TO PEOPLE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT’S EASY TO SOCIAL DISTANCE WHEN YOU’RE DOING OUTDOOR RECREATION, LIKE HIKING, BIKING, KAYAKING, CAMPING, ET CETERA. THE SECOND PHASE, WHICH DATO PLANS TO LAUNCH IN JULY, WILL EXTEND MARKETING EFFORTS TO REACH TRAVEL AUDIENCES WITHIN A 10-HOUR DRIVE OF DURANGO. IT ALSO WILL BEGIN PROMOTING MORE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING DINING AND SHOPPING IN DURANGO, PURGATORY RESORT’S SUMMER ACTIVITIES, AND TRAIN EXCURSIONS.NORMALLY WE DO ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF HOURS, BUT WE THINK IN THIS NEW CLIMATE, PEOPLE WILL BE WILLING TO DRIVE A LOT FURTHER FOR THEIR VACATIONS AND ROAD TRIPS ARE GOING TO BE MAKING A BIG COMEBACK THIS YEAR. AND IN SEPTEMBER, DATO WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE REGIONAL, OUT-OF-STATE DRIVE MARKET WHILE ADDING EFFORTS TO ATTRACT TRAVELERS IN CITIES THAT HAVE DIRECT FLIGHTS TO DURANGO, INCLUDING DENVER, CHICAGO, PHOENIX, DALLAS AND HOUSTON. BROWN SAYS THAT TOURISM TRAFFIC ALREADY HAS STARTED TO PICK UP FOR THE SEASON, AND TRAVELERS HAVE STARTED DROPPING BY THE DURANGO VISITORS CENTER WHICH OPENED EARLIER THIS MONTH WITH SOCIAL-DISTANCING MEASURES IN PLACE. AND PEOPLE ARE EAGER TO RETURN TO DURANGO. SEVENTY-ONE PERCENT OF CALLERS AND WEB-SITE VISITORS HAVE REPORTED THAT THEY PLAN TO RESCHEDULE THEIR VACATIONS TO DURANGO THIS YEAR.WHEN PEOPLE CALL OUR WELCOME CENTER OR LIVE CHAT US ON OUR WEBSITE, THEY’RE JUST ASKING, WHEN CAN I COME? WHAT’S OPEN? CAMPING QUESTIONS. THEY’RE JUST REALLY EAGER TO COME BACK, AND THEY MISS THEIR DURANGO VACATIONS.IF YOU’D LIKE MORE DETAILS ON DATO’S VISIT DURANGO MARKETING RECOVERY PLAN, REGISTER FOR THE VIRTUAL LUNCH AND LEARN AT DURANGO BUSINESS DOT ORG. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE FOR THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. THANKS FOR WATCHING!