The Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop, an innovative marketing partnership between five western Colorado destination marketing organizations, received the Governor's Award for Outstanding Tourism Marketing Program at the Governor's Colorado Tourism Conference held in Denver.
More than 520 travel and tourism industry representatives and elected officials gathered in Denver from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 for the 2019 Governor’s Colorado Tourism Conference, hosted by the Colorado Tourism Office and co-sponsored by Visit Denver. The annual awards dinner on Monday, Sept. 30 honored individuals and organizations that have greatly contributed to the advancement and innovation of Colorado’s tourism industry. Among the highlights of the ceremony, the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop (CHHSL) received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Tourism Marketing Program which recognizes an event or project undertaken by a community or region to promote tourism in Colorado.
The CHHSL is comprised of five premier western Colorado hot springs destinations, representing 18 geothermal facilities, each bringing their own brand of sizzle to soaking in Colorado. In the fall of 2015, hot springs destinations in Chaffee County, Pagosa Springs, Ouray County, Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs formulated a strategy to leverage their resources. Each partner contributed $5,000, which enabled the fledgling initiative to secure a Colorado Tourism Office Marketing Matching Grant Fund for a $50,000 total budget for two consecutive years. Much of the first nine months was devoted to product development, including creating collateral marketing materials such as www.colorado.com/hotspringsloop, a map, brochures and videos produced in four languages. Since then, the campaign has taken off and the CHHSL has effectively increased consumer interest in visiting hot springs destinations in western Colorado.
Representatives from all five destinations were on hand to accept the award presented by Cathy Ritter, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office. Speaking on behalf of the member organizations, “We are elated,” CHHSL project manager Vicky Nash said. “The Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop has been an extremely successful venture. It shows that pooling resources, working together and creating partnerships within an industry is a viable strategy that can be used to leverage marketing dollars and create a highly desirable product for consumers.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a speaker at the event, lauded the state’s national reputation for excellence in tourism marketing and thanked its industry partners. “Colorado’s tourism industry is a national leader and that did not happen overnight,” Polis said. “Our tourism industry’s vibrant health and its thoughtful reputation are direct results of the hard work of industry members from across our state.”
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About the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop
Five premier hot springs destinations in western Colorado—Chaffee County, Pagosa Springs, Ouray County, Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs—have come together to form the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop. This 720-mile loop showcases some of the most popular hot springs attractions in the country. There is so much variety; from intimate private baths to the world’s largest mineral hot springs pool. Each of the 18 facilities offers unique features like vapor caves, hot pots, terraced pools, enormous travertine formations and fun-filled aquatic centers. For more information, please visit cohotspringsloop.com. The online media room is cohotspringsloop.com/media-room
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