Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times file
“Take it Easy” is the most recent slogan for Carbondale Tourism, urging visitors to be more conscientious about their affect on the neighborhood and its environment.
Carbondale is a unique spot in that it’s not your typical vacationer town, reported Sarah-Jane Johnson, who handles tourism promotions for the Carbondale Chamber by Roadmap Consulting.
“Carbondale does not feel like a resort city,” she mentioned at Wednesday’s Carbondale Confluence company summit when the issue “Why do persons come to Carbondale?” was posed.
“We sense like a town where by people today live,” she mentioned.
For that cause, and due to the fact the local community strongly values conservation, Carbondale Tourism has been functioning for the previous many months on a new responsible visitation campaign.
“Take it Easy” has a double this means, Johnson pointed out.
“It’s a connect with to motion for people, and to locals, to consider about the impression they are having on persons and the surroundings — to acquire it effortless on our all-natural means, our city and every other,” she claimed. “But, also, acquire it uncomplicated when you appear to Carbondale by savoring our laid-back again vibe and to have a fantastic time.”
For locals, that similar concept can extend to the way individuals interact with each other all around town or powering the wheel, “like, never honk in the roundabout if you really don’t have to,” Johnson stated.
Carbondale is turning into extra of a 12 months-round vacation spot, riding the expanding reputation of rural mountain towns all throughout the West.
Lodging occupancy is now earlier mentioned 50% all 12 months long, and proceeds from the town’s 2% lodging tax continue on to go up.
Most of that money goes back again into tourism advertising efforts, but there has been a shift towards tourism management and what’s identified as “destination stewardship,” Johnson mentioned.
A short while ago, tourism officials approached the town’s Board of Trustees about maybe searching for a lodging tax raise to go, in portion, toward the management facet of tourism.
There are damaging impacts from tourism, which includes burdens on the town’s infrastructure, added trash and pollution, wildlife disruptions and social impacts, Johnson pointed out.
That touches on almost everything from prolonged waits at your favorite cafe to obtaining strangers showing up at the house next door mainly because it’s a limited-term trip rental.
“We understand that tourism has to have its possess fat,” she said.
The town board opted to wait around just before asking voters to improve the lodging tax but is proposing in the November election to tax quick-expression rentals as a way to guidance the town’s initiatives to present much more reasonably priced housing for local citizens.
To assistance get the information across, the chamber now has a “Take it Easy” toolkit for Carbondale corporations to share the concept with readers about how to tread additional lightly even though they’re in town, as a result of counter displays and concierge chatting points. People messages can also be shared as a result of social-media channels and other marketing and advertising.
Carbondale Tourism is also now an official stewardship member of the Treatment for Colorado Coalition, which promotes “leave no trace” rules statewide.
Senior Reporter/Handling Editor John Stroud can be attained at 970-384-9160 or [email protected].
