Visit Greeley was approved to participate in the Reimagine Destinations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office in July 2022. Program objectives included:
— convene local tourism stakeholders to align on the future of tourism
— identify strategies that build local understanding of the value of tourism
— advance activities that develop and enhance visitor experience in Greeley
— advance activities that increase awareness of Greeley tourism opportunities
The City of Greeley (Greeley) is located in the travel region of Denver and the Cities of the Rockies, designated by the Colorado Tourism Office. Greeley, the Weld County seat, is a high plains community that offers panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. Known for its blend of hospitality and agricultural roots, Greeley has an emerging creative arts scene that is powered by the University of Northern Colorado and a thriving downtown. Greeley is a regional hub of activity in Colorado’s Front Range, positioned north of Denver, east of Boulder, and south of Fort Collins.
Visit Greeley is the destination marketing and management organization for Greeley. The organization is a department housed within the Greeley Area Chamber of Commerce. It is primarily funded by the City of Greeley through a 3% lodging tax collected by the City of Greeley.
Visit Greeley was paired with Dave Santucci, Principal Consultant for Mission2Market, a destination consultancy with 20 years of experience in destination management and marketing, to develop a destination assessment, facilitate a full day
community visioning and action planning workshop, and provide 100 hours of free consulting to Visit Greeley.
Visit Greeley also convened a core team of local tourism stakeholders to provide input throughout the design and delivery of the program. Visit Greeley hosted three core team meetings to identify priority barriers and opportunities for advancing
tourism, discuss the findings from the destination assessment, and guide workshop design.
Key Findings from Destination Assessment
Visit Greeley supported the development of a destination assessment consisting of background research, a visitor profile study, a resident sentiment survey, a tourism stakeholder survey, and input from the core team.
The following priorities were identified through the destination assessment:
— advance group tourism opportunities
— promote local businesses and experiences
— develop and enhance visitor experience
Background Research
Visit Greeley provided their strategic plan, website and social insights, marketing materials, and marketing plan. An analysis of Visit Greeley’s strategic plan identified a heavy focus on attracting leisure travelers, however, a review of available activities and experiences revealed limited, but expanding, offerings for leisure travelers to the destination. An analysis of Greeley’s meetings, conventions, sports, and cultural events identified more readily available opportunities to attract group tourism.
An additional finding from the background research included a need to unify Greeley around a single brand for the community. The research conducted observed that at least seven organizations were tasked with advancing economic development activities in Greeley, with each one utilizing a different brand to market the community.
Visitor Profile Study
Visitor profile data was compiled based on a geographical boundary and Points of Interest (POIs) that were provided by Visit Greeley. Key findings include:
— out-of-state visitation in 2022 decreased compared to 2019
— in addition to the front range, the visitor profile showed strong visitation originating from the Colorado plains, notably Northeast Colorado
— key out-of-state origin markets include Texas, Wyoming, and Nebraska
— visitation spikes during major events, such as the Stampede, RMR Showdown volleyball tournament, and the holidays
Tourism Stakeholder Survey
A tourism stakeholder survey was launched September 14, 2022, to businesses and organizations directly contributing to the tourism industry in Greeley. The purpose of the survey was to receive input on economic outlook, priority concerns, opportunities to increase visitation to Greeley. All sectors of the tourism industry participated, and 22 responses were received. Key findings include:
— a majority of respondents support increasing events as a way to drive visitation throughout the year
— top stakeholder concerns are costs, supply chain issues, and staffing
— the top destination priority is increasing visitation to Greeley
— respondents indicated that their visitors primarily originate from Wyoming and the Front Range
Resident Sentiment Survey
A resident sentiment survey was distributed in fall 2022 to residents of Greeley, with 190 responses received. The purpose of the survey was to gain a stronger understanding of how residents perceive various aspects of the tourism industry in Greeley, such as impacts to the local economy, environment, and quality of life. Key findings include:
— 93% of respondents feel that people who have not visited Greeley have inaccurate perceptions of the community
— respondents were generally positive about tourism, with 12% negative, 47% positive, and 41% unsure
— a majority of respondents did not have strong feelings towards tourism
— among the 88% that responded positive or unsure about tourism, strong support exists for the growth of tourism and a belief that it would benefit resident quality of life
— 80% respondents support an increase in the number of events hosted in Greeley
Workshop Overview
Visit Greeley convened 47 attendees on December 15, 2022, at the Greeley Chamber of Commerce for a community visioning and action planning workshop to review the destination assessment and align on priority actions for fostering long-term industry resilience. Workshop participants represented a wide range of tourism stakeholders, including Visit Greeley, City of Greeley, economic development partners, state agency representatives, and private business managers and owners. Key agenda items included:
— statewide findings from the Restart Destinations Program
— envisioning Greeley in 2035
— group input session on prioritizing Visit Greeley initiatives
— overview of the Greeley destination assessment
— interactive tourism strategies session
— Visit Greeley action planning
Key Findings
Workshop participants engaged in a small group activity to align on the future changes they would like to see implemented that benefit the tourism industry in Greeley. Overlapping themes from these discussions included enhanced marketing for brand awareness, target audiences and marketing tactics, group sales and tourism, development of visitor experiences, and championing the value of tourism. Workshop participants also identified short- and long-term action items to advance the agreed upon priorities. Participants leveraged a Lead-Partner-Advocate framework to guide action planning discussions and define roles for Visit Greeley and its stakeholders. According to this framework, the roles of Visit Greeley are defined as:
— Lead: Visit Greeley will be responsible and accountable for the initiative
— Partner: Visit Greeley will support the pursuit of the stakeholders’ goals
— Advocate: Visit Greeley will work with, for, and through others to achieve a desired outcome
Participants further detailed the priorities by assigning recommended timeframes to each action item: short-term (within 1 year), medium-term (1-2 years), and long-term (3+ years).
About Reimagine Destinations Program
The Reimagine Destinations Program supports Colorado tourism destinations to foster long-term industry resilience. Awarded destinations receive a destination assessment, a full-day workshop, 100 hours of free consulting, and a $20,000 creative asset production shoot from the Colorado Tourism Office.
Contact Information
Andrew Grossmann
Director of Destination Development
Colorado Tourism Office
andrew.grossmann@state.co.us
Hilary Lewkowitz
Manager of Destination Development
Colorado Tourism Office
hilary.lewkowitz@state.co.us
Dave Santucci
CRAFT Workshop Facilitator
Mission2Market
dave.santucci@colorado.com
