The Durango Area Tourism Office announced Friday that Bob Kunkel, the organization’s interim director, has been named its executive director, effective immediately.
Kunkel, a 30-year veteran of tourism marketing in Colorado, previously worked at Durango Mountain Resort, Vail and Beaver Creek, Winter Park and Copper Mountain. He also was the director of the Durango Business Improvement District and is a Herald columnist.
One of his first projects, Kunkel said, is to finish updating the DATO website, which is a marketing tool.
“It will allow our tourism suppliers to manage their own pages on the website,” Kunkel said.
Suppliers are businesses that provide goods or services, Kunkel said; he estimated there are 500 in the region.
“Suppliers have to improve the experience of their customers, which helps their own business,” he said.
Kunkel, who has lived in Colorado since 1971, has served on numerous state and local boards and is a guest instructor at Fort Lewis College.
“I am excited to focus full-time attention on the tourism industry, to help guide the professionals who work here and to maximize return on the community’s tourism promotion,” Kunkel said in a news release.
daler@durangoherald.com
