Breckenridge, Colorado

Complete destinations: Not Just Skiing

By Dave Belin, RRC Associates
Brought to you by the Summit Daily and The Insights Collective

Changes in the ski industrySuccessful towns and cities all over the world strive to improve the quality of life for residents, which in turn often makes these locations attractive for visitors and second-home owners. One of the keys to that success is collaborative partnerships between different entities, both public and private, toward a common goal.

The maturation of tourism economies in many towns in the West has represented an evolution from a one-trick pony (ski resort only) to a vibrant, complete destination with activities, attractions and facilities for a wide variety of visitors and residents. The diversity of restaurants, cultural offerings, retail shopping and outdoor activities represents a potent draw for tourism.

While many COVID-related challenges exist, creative new partnerships between visitors’ bureaus, local governments, private foundations, citizens and other entities have quickly emerged to offer new and different activities to visitors, to communicate effectively to keep visitors safe, and to develop innovative new programs that support local businesses. These dynamics are an extension of the trend of mountain communities becoming complete destinations, appealing to many different types of visitors for different reasons.

 

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