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Young sports-oriented families, boomers choosing
Durango
by Will Sands
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| The sign at the southern end
of Durango greets motorists early this week. About 1.2 million
people visit Durango each year but local tourist attractions
are working on ways to increase that number./Photo by Todd
Newcomer. |
Roughly 1.2 million people visit the Durango area every year
and sink upwards of $260 million into local businesses. There
is hope that these numbers will grow in 2004 along with recognition
that the local tourism market is undergoing changes. In coming
months, local marketing efforts will capitalize on past success
and explore new ways of luring tourist dollars into Durango.
It is no secret that the local tourism economy is on the rebound.
Strong visitation last summer helped the Durango area begin to
recover from the fires in 2002 and the lingering effects of the
Sept. 11 attacks. “Tourism is healthier than it was. Durango
had a good summer, and it’s bounced back after a tough time,”
said Bob Kunkel, chairman of the Durango Area Tourism Office Board.
However, the recovery remains incomplete for many local businesses.
Kristi Nelson Cohen, vice president of sales & marketing for
the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, said she is
banking on strong numbers in 2004.
“We were up about 25 percent last year, but not up to where
we’d like to be in 2004,” she said. “We’re
thinking that the coming year will be much improved and get us
back on track, so to speak.”
The prototype
According to the Durango Area Tourism Office (DATO), the ideal
Durango tourists are either families with kids younger than 18
years old or baby boomers. Within these age groups, DATO is hoping
to attract sports enthusiast households that earn more than $50,000
a year. The group has codified its path to this type of tourist
in a Marketing and Operations Plan.
“The tourism plan is well written, in place and is a longer
term plan for tourism in Durango,” Kunkel said.
In the coming year, DATO will continue “branding”
Durango as one of five things: a Western town, a historical community,
a bastion of arts and culture, a sport/outdoors mecca or a center
of American Indian heritage. The group also plans to increase
its market presence and take a competitive approach in the targeted
states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and within Colorado.
This focus is based entirely on the strength of the “drive”
market.
“We know we are primarily a driving destination,”
Kunkel said. “The bigger question is how far out we go in
terms of geography.”
Roy Cook, associate dean of the School of Business Administration
at Fort Lewis College, said people are driving on vacations because
of the nature of the times. “The biggest shift we’re
seeing is toward the ‘last minute purchaser,’”
he said. “Our tourism has really shifted to a spur-of-the-moment,
drive market.”
As for causes, Cook pointed to last week’s “orange”
terror alert. “I think people are still a little hesitant,”
he said. “There’s still that tenuous factor out there.”
Scott Fortner, Durango Mountain Resort marketing director, agreed,
noting that the vast majority of the resort’s business has
arrived in cars this season. “I would say 90 percent of
our skiers are driving this year,” he said.
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| Cars on College Drive wait for
the train to pass earlier this week. In an effort to attract
more of its target market, the train will be offering “adventure
train” rides next summer, which incorporate a train
ride with things like rafting on the Upper Animas or backpacking
in the Weminuche./Photo by Todd Newcomer. |
The soft adventurer
According to DATO, young families with high household incomes
and baby boomers are most likely to be driving to Durango currently.
Tour groups, composed largely of senior citizens, have been fewer
in number according to the office.
Cohen said that the D&SNG has recognized this trend and will
be exploring new options in the coming year as a result.
“I believe our group tour market is changing,” she
said. “The baby boomers are now becoming our seniors, and
they’re not likely to get on a group motor coach and sit
around.”
The D&SNG will unveil the “adventure train” next
July, which will focus on combination trips that include a ride
on the locomotive along with a wilderness backpacking trip or
rafting on the Upper Animas.
“In an effort to make our product more appealing to soft
adventurers, we’re going to be unfolding new products,”
Cohen said. “Seniors definitely appreciate steam train history,
but I think we also want to attract an audience that’s interested
in a wilderness experience in conjunction with the train.”
Fortner said that DMR has taken a stab at an even younger clientele
and is deliberately targeting college students. The hope is that
the move will help create lifelong skiers and long-term business.
“We’ve made an effort in the wintertime with some
of the bigger colleges in the region, and we’re starting
to see some results,” he said. “The hope is that we
can get them hooked in college and make skiing a sport of a lifetime
for them.”
Competitive edge
Looking toward the future, there is widespread optimism mixed
with widespread agreement that competition for tourists is getting
stiffer. Fortner pointed to a situation where DMR’s competition
is less with other ski areas and more with nonsnow offerings like
Las Vegas, amusement parks or Mexico. In order to try to get a
competitive edge on other attractions throughout the country,
a great deal of partnering is happening locally. For example,
DATO and DMR are jointly marketing to winter tourists
“DATO is a competitive marketing approach,” Kunkel
said. “To be successful we’re working to fire on several
fronts.”
Cohen said that the D&SNG is working with entities like Mesa
Verde and the Town of Silverton to stretch dollars and get a stronger
message out. “The tourism market is very competitive right
now,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can
to stretch our marketing dollars and get a competitive edge.”
In addition to increased competition, the current tourism picture
also offers less certainty. Fortner noted that holidays like President’s
Weekend have become more hit or miss for the resort.
“Those holidays that can go either way are going to be
tricky,” he said. “Five years ago, you would know
what’s going to happen by looking at last year’s book.
Now it’s more difficult.”
Cook characterized this shift as indicative of the shift toward
baby boomer tourism. While it may be more difficult from a planning
perspective, he said it should greatly help the Durango economy
over the long term.
“I think it’s going to be great,” he said.
“You’re going to see our shoulder seasons get filled
in more. People are going to have more flexibility, and it’s
no longer going to be your typical high volumes during school
vacation times.”
Cook also pointed to the ultimate unknown – weather –
as cause for optimism. “As long as we continue to get some
snow, tourism should be good and not just this winter but next
summer as well,” he said.
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