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| Tourism trends
by Missy Votel
Fortunately, rather than little blue creatures or furry rodents, “SMURFS” (marketing-speak for social, military, educational, religious and fraternal) and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, events), along with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) populations represent the strongest marketing trends in Durango tourism. The lion’s share of these visitors are coming from Durango’s core drive-to market, made up of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Texas. And high prices haven’t seemed to hamper their road trip habits, with visitor numbers so far this year seeing a modest rebound over last year. “It’s good,” Durango Area Tourism Office Director John Cohen said Tuesday. “We’re 6 percent up through April over last year. Lodgers are reporting good advance bookings.” Cohen said it will take some time to recover from the “chasm” created by the recession, but Durango tourism is on a slow, steady and healthy course. “It’s going to take some time to get back to pre-recession levels,” he said. “But, it’s the first time in a few years that we’ve seen month-to-month growth.” Cohen also put things in perspective by noting that although last summer was largely recognized as the trough of the recession, Durango still fared relatively well. “Summer was good last year, even at the heart of the downturn,” he said. “We are looking forward to good, sustained growth and positive improvement.” Kory Samson, of Durango’s Gateway Reservations, reports a similar “cautiously optimistic” outlook. “We’re definitely on par to outperform last year,” he said. “People are starting to book farther in advance, which is a good sign that they are confident with the economy.” He said this May was the best May since 2006 at Durango Central Reservations. Although April bookings were the same as April 2010, May 2011 bookings were up by 12 percent. However, he noted revenues have been roughly the same, as lodgers have lowered their rates slightly to remain competitive. “The average daily rates are trending down,” he said. “The market has forced hoteliers to be more aggressive.” Samson also said activities bookings were up this May over May 2010. The major draw are the activity packages offered by Gateway, including the “Train and Lodging,” “Silverton and Durango” and “Tree Top Adventures” tours. He said people seem more willing to shell out the cash for the more expensive packages over last year. “People aren’t as terribly price resistant as last year,” said Samson.A new package offering that has gained traction this year is the Iron Horse “bucket list” package, in which people can ride the famed Iron Horse route to Silverton via bike and hitch a ride back to Durango on the train. The package also includes a “certificate of completion” for their bucket list as well as lodging. Samson attributes some of this year’s success to “niche” marketing, the newest shift in courting visitors to Durango. “We are trying to get people who have some idea about the community to come – and keep coming back,” he said. “We are focusing on the niche markets like cyclists and motorcyclists, and trying to educate people a bit more.” Cohen also attributes some success to niche campaigns as well. This year, in addition to the traditional smurf and mice markets, DATO began reaching out to the LGBT market as well. “Reports show that they tend to travel more and stay longer,” he said. “The reason is that they tend to comprise a higher percentage of DINKS – dual income, no kids – and have a lot more disposable income.” In addition to breaking into newer, more diverse markets, DATO has also been making strides into the digital frontier. In addition to developing a new mobile site for smart phones (www.durango.org), it is working on a soon-to-be-released Iphone app. “It will be a travel guide you can download on your phone that includes maps, events listings, attractions, lodging, etc,” he said. However, a few bugs still need to be worked out before its release. “Right now, we’re having problems with the maps. It keeps pulling up Antarctica and Australia.” DATO is also seeing results in the booming world of social media. “Lat year, we had 750 Facebook friends, and now we’re close to 22,000,” he said. “We’re really starting to see the value of social media for generating interest and excitement.” In addition to these modern channels, DATO is also utilizing the more traditional ones of print, online advertising and public relations. The office also released two new publications this year: a chef’s guide, featuring local culinary offerings and chef interviews; and an agro-tourism guide, featuring local farms and food producers. “We have such an extraordinary culinary and agricultural product here, we really wanted to highlight the use of local foods in restaurants and sustainability,” he said. The Durango marketing message appears to be paying off, with the area trending well against other destinations in the state and the Southwest. According to numbers released at a recent public relations conference, the State Tourism Board reported a return of $65 for every $1 in paid advertising. “We generated about $187 for every $1 we spent,” said Cohen of DATO’s efforts, which have translated into about $7 million for the area. And while local tourism’s margin of return may be high, the margin of growth is expected to take a more leisurely approach this year, which is just fine by Gateway’s Samson. “Everyone expects growth in the singular digits, but any growth is good growth.” •
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The Independent Weekly Line on Durango and Beyond
If smurfs, mice and rainbows sound like the makings of a fantasy world far, far away, think again. They’re actually right here in Durango, cruising Main Avenue shops, riding the D&SNG train and sleeping in our hotels.