Colorado Tourism Board Meeting Minutes

September 27, 2023

Attendance:

CTO Board: Bob Stinchcomb, Alex Boian, Laura Valdez, Amber Blake, Sen. Dylan Roberts, Rep. Meghan Lukens, Phil Washington, Rep. Matt Soper, Rachel Brown, Ken Murphy, Dan Pirrallo

CTO: Tim Wolfe, CTO Director; Andrea Blankenship, Deputy Director of International Tourism; Jill Corbin; Deputy Director of Destination Stewardship; Shelley Cooper, Deputy Director for Marketing; David Fishman, Senior Fiscal/Operations Manager; Taren Mulch, Director of Visitor Services; Elizabeth O’Rear, Director of Grants and Funding; Andrew Grossmann, Director of Destination Development; Natazshya Rodriguez, Senior Brand Manager; Jackson Feld, Destination Stewardship Specialist; Kaiti Jacobson, Senior Manager of Industry Partnerships & Education; Sami Wells, Grants and Funding Manager; Hilary Lewkowitz, Senior Manager Destination Development; Julie Dufault, International Promotions Manager; Hayes Norris, Communications Manager; Christina Tuchman, Marketing Manager; Michelle Wulfson, Marketing Copywriter; Will Anderson, Administrative Coordinator

Additional: Eve Lieberman, OEDIT; Cassidee Shull, CAVE; Chris Seek, Solimar International; Natalie Sellier, Solimar International; Elizabeth Fogarty, Visit Grand Junction; Carly Holbrook, Handlebar PR; Caitlin Johnson, Handlebar PR; Jake Jensen, History Colorado; Uarda Kriner, Cortez Welcome Center; Brian Bartlett, Mesa Verde Country; Flavia Light, Visit Denver; Leslie Stagner, Lamar Welcome Center; Victoria Quan, Colorado State University; Lisa Bruening, Visit Denver; Cindy Mackin, Visit Loveland; Kiera Skinner, Telluride Tourism Board; Valerie Price, Julesburg Welcome Center; Sue Carter, Julesburg Welcome Center; Anne Marie Sukcik, Lodging Owner- Pagosa Springs; Chris Adams, Miles Partnership; Denise Miller, SMARInsights; Ginny Victti, Breck Grand Vacation; Christine Nicholson, Breck Tourism; Tom Kleinschnitz, Visit Moffat County; Talia Siens, Pawnee Pioneer Trails Byway; Gaylen Ore, Grand County Tourism; Cheryl Spezia, Grand County Tourism; Ashley Ryan, Native Roots/City of Trinidad; Justin Bresler, Visit Denver; Inna Cramer, Rocky Mountaineer; Corry Mihm, CADMO; Bruce Dalton, Visit Aurora; Carrie Gill, MMGY; Jessica Hollenbach, MMGY; Mira Whang, MMGY; Kim Lenox, MMGY; Zoe Berry, MMGY; Kathrin Berns, CTO Germany Rep.; Sana Keller, CTO Canada Rep; Will Hall, CTO UK Rep; Liz Birdsall, CTO Contractor- Birdsall Marketing; Cassandra Patton, Clear Creek County Tourism; Carrie Tomlinson, Miles Partnership; Aaron Winter, Aramark- Pikes Peak; Maria Chavez, Winter Park/Fraser Chamber; Molly Mendez, Alamosa CVB; Nellie Perry, Burlington Welcome Center; Laurie Dickey, Fruita Welcome Center; Camille Ziccardi, Karsh Hagan; Joe Vollbracht, Karsh Hagan

Meeting called to order at 12:04 PM

12:00 PM - Welcome & Introduction of New Board Members: Bob Stinchcomb, CTO Board Chair

• Thank you to Gov Con host city Ft. Collins
• Intro to new board members, Amber Blake & Dan Pirrallo

12:10 PM -  Approval of Meeting Minutes

• Motioned by Alex Boian
• Seconded by Dan Pirrallo
• Approved by acclamation

12:15 PM - Budget Updates: David Fishman, Senior Fiscal/Operations Manager

• September board packets include list of contracts and current budget approximately 2 months into the fiscal year

12:20 PM - Board Member Updates

• Ken Murphy

• Outdoor rec impact numbers
• Heavy snowfall winter had lasting impacts throughout the year

• Dan Pirrallo

• Mountain communities saw great snowfall and a strong winter season
• Occupancy rates dropping, booking rates softening

• Optimistic going in to winter, but with international and urban focused travel back

• Rachel Brown

• Slight increase in booking for last year in Durango area
• Considering merging CADMO and TIAC along with survey work

• Laura Valdez

• Continue to promote and lift up museums in your destinations to keep visitation numbers up

• Phil Washington

• Last year DEN had largest passenger movement numbers
• Forecast of 78 Million going through DEN this year

• DEN is retrofitting to match this volume

• Working on authorized TSA headcount numbers
• Secretary of Transportation recently visited DEN for new taxiway unveiling

• Amber Blake

• New transportation sector representative

12:50 PM - Director’s Report: Tim Wolfe, CTO Director

• CTO initiatives review

• MEI Incentive winding down
• Federal EDA granted to local destinations for recovery
• Photography
• Do Colorado Right
• International Marketing Database
• New

• eXchange program
• MICHELIN Guide
• Welcome Center Updates

• Forecast

• Current market share pace review
• Return on Investment for CTO marketing efforts

• Winter efforts review

• International forecast and recovery numbers

• Still recovering but positive trends
• Mexico has more than rebounded
• Europe & Asia still below 2019 numbers

• Ski Industry updates

• Japan taking large share of Australia winter travelers

• CTO Budget numbers from 2021 to present

• Comparison to other states
• CO 47th in the US for total Ad Valorem tax rates on lodging accommodations

• Regional lodging tax breakdowns
• Upcoming fiscal year budget requests

• CTO asked for budget increase and possible new funding models

1:05 PM -  SMARI Report: Denise Miller, Executive Vice President

• Value of tourism marketing

• SMARI quantifies marketing efforts/ROI and what destinations would lose if they stopped or reduced marketing efforts

• Methodology behind SMARI research/surveys
• SMARI researched “Shine a Little Brighter” and “Do Colorado Right” campaigns

• CTO invested $1.48 M on 2022-23 SALB campaign

• 44% awareness nationally, surpassing SMARI’s 38% expectation
• CTO spending decreased, but awareness grew
• More awareness among snow focused travelers
• Reactions among consumers trends very positive

• “Do Colorado Right”

• Largely positive perceptions
• Negative reception dropped after a change in the creative

• Trends show ROI will stay positive, but if spending on marketing efforts stays flat, so will overall economic impact
• Winter Economic Impact and ROI triple the national average
• Sustainability

• CO is highest rated among competitor set for protecting and preserving natural resources

• Questions/Comments

• Geographically are  there any markets that were more favorable in these surveys?

• In the past NY is positive but have to check in on results

• Inflation impacts available upon request
• How do trip lengths compare to other areas?

• People are not giving up travel, but length or spending can decrease and this is showing up a bit in the research

• Does this research address traveler demographics?

• SMARI does look at demographics and can provide on request.
• Winter travelers definitely trend affluent

• In the past, have seen that CO trends positively for DEI efforts

1:35 PM - Solimar International Updates: Chris Seek, CEO

• Destination Stewardship Strategic Planning Initiative well underway

• Engaging with stakeholder around the state to ensure we are preserving and protecting the resources that hold up the tourism industry
• 63 stewardship priorities identified through the project
• Draft Strategy Framework in the works
• Defining Destination Stewardship Success

• Shared vision
• Guiding principles
• Indicators & targets

• Key Focus Areas

• Shared stewardship of tourism resources
• Industry leadership to support destination stewardship

1:50 PM - Wrap Up and Q&A

• Gov Con highlights ahead
• Next Board Meeting 11/8

MEETING ADJOURNED 2:00 PM

• Motioned by Rachel Brown
• Seconded by Laura Valdez
• Meeting adjourned by acclamation