Tourism dollars are spent to put heads-in-beds somewhere in La Plata County. That bed might be a downtown Durango hotel, a cabin at Vallecito, a camp site up north, a motel on the outskirts, a slope-side condo, a lake-side RV space or a vacation rental. Then once checked-in and unpacked, a tourist becomes a self-guided, adventure-seeking missile.
Tourists choose vacation destinations that excite their imaginations, match their interests and fit their budgets. They buy the brand, reputation and image of a vacation destination, and then hope and pray the destination lives up to its promises and hype.
Money spent by the Durango Area Tourism Office on destination marketing originates from the lodging tax paid by tourists – 2 percent in the city and 1.9 percent in the county. The amount of tax collected from city lodging properties outweighs those collected from county lodging properties by about 4 to 1. The difference is simply that the highest concentrations of lodging properties are located within city limits. Conversely, many of the area’s activities and attractions are located in the county and even beyond La Plata County.
Tourism businesses in the city, the county and beyond are actually very dependent on each other to attract, hold and return tourists who come here for a “complete vacation experience.” Nobody comes here to just sleep in a room; they come here to do things that interest them. And the tourist doesn’t know, or much care, where marketing money comes from or which side of the county line they’re standing on.
Simply put, the Durango downtown is the epi-center of lodging, shopping and restaurants while the county provides significant outdoor activity, cultural attractions and recreational pursuits. Some of what Durango’s visitors come here to enjoy is actually in neighboring counties. For some, Durango serves as the gateway or hub from which to explore the entire Four Corners.
Some have asked if city and county marketing is spent separately? No, the tourism office pools tax revenues with all other revenues available to bundle and promote that complete vacation experience vacationers seek. Because a rising tide floats all boats, DATO’s efforts aim to inform, attract and invite visitors to come and enjoy all our facilities, amenities, special events and natural attractions.
Durango is known all over the world. We credit the railroad for well over a hundred years of marketing the train and the town to the degree that the two names are synonymous. Thus, the word “Durango” is the established and recognizable marketable brand the tourism office uses to promote our entire area and its attractions. Essentially, the word “Durango” means Durango and a whole lot more.
The marketing tagline used by DATO is “Durango, A Dozen Vacations in One Destination.” The tagline promotes the full array of vacation diversity offered in and around our region. This tagline creates interest in our area, invites further investigation and offers something for everyone.
director@durango.org. Bob Kunkel is executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office.
