Destination Stewardship: Take it Easy
Big Picture
“Take it Easy” is the newest slogan for Carbondale Tourism, urging visitors to be more conscientious about their impact on the community and its surroundings.
Details
The DMO asked residents “Why do people come to Carbondale?”
Most common answer: “We feel like a town where people live.”
For that reason, and because the community strongly values conservation, Carbondale Tourism has been working for the past several months on a new responsible visitation campaign.
Double Meeting
“Take it Easy” has a double meaning.
- It’s a call to action for visitors, and to locals, to think about the impact they are having on people and the environment — to take it easy on natural resources.
- It also is a call-to-action: “Take it Easy” when you come to Carbondale by enjoying their laid-back vibe and to have a good time.
The Shift
Carbondale is becoming more of a year-round destination, riding the growing popularity of rural mountain towns all across the West.
Lodging occupancy is now above 50% all year long, and proceeds from the town’s 2% lodging tax continue to go up.
Most of that money goes back into tourism promotion efforts, but there has been a shift toward tourism management and what’s called “destination stewardship.”
Bonus
To help get the message across, the chamber now has a “Take it Easy” toolkit for Carbondale businesses to share the message with visitors about how to tread more lightly while they’re in town, through counter displays and concierge talking points. Those messages can also be shared through social-media channels and other marketing.
Carbondale Tourism is also now an official stewardship member of the Care for Colorado Coalition, which promotes “leave no trace” principles statewide.