Aspen Chamber Resort Association hosted Destination Think for this season of the Travel Beyond podcast.
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The Aspen Destination Management Plan (ADMP) is more than a vision—it's a roadmap guiding our efforts to harmonize the needs of residents, visitors, and the environment.
This page details the concrete actions we're implementing to achieve the ADMP's strategic objectives. From engaging the community in meaningful dialogue to promoting responsible tourism and preserving our cherished small-town character, discover how the Aspen Chamber Resort Association is leading initiatives that ensure Aspen remains a vibrant and sustainable destination for generations to come.
Utilize a platform for community engagement.
ACRA connects with residents through the implementation of the ACRA Community Dashboard in the weekly Aspen Daily News issue. The Dashboard covers everything each week including occupancy for the week, transportation updates, local’s tips, and events happening in Aspen that week.
Whether through an engagement platform or other communication strategies, there is a need to improve resident awareness of ACRA's role/successes and the value of tourism to Aspen.
ACRA has been out in the Field presenting to and getting feedback from different segments of the community including Aspen Mastermind, ACRA board of directors, and arts & culture organizations.
Potential focus areas for engagement include strategizing with residents regarding visitor pressure, crowdsourcing solutions to preserve the small-town character, and understanding priorities for sustainability initiatives.
Utilize existing communications with member businesses to communicate locally what ACRA is already doing.
It will be important to engage different subsegments of residents, including permanent residents and temporary residents or second-home property owners.
It is important for visitors and second-home property owners to be aware of the sensitivities of the community. Teach them to admire the way you respect each other and nature. Promote “The Aspen Way”, “Mountain Ethos”, and the “mind, body, spirit” mentality of experiencing Aspen to potential visitors in a campaign that reveals the DNA of Aspen. This will set clear expectations of visitor behavior.
Promoting kindess in a digital campaign for Winter 2024 leading back to this blog: https://aspenchamber.org/blog/winter-kindness-aspen-small-acts-make-big-difference
Ran an outdoor report with Aspen Public Radio in the summer of 2024 that encouraged responsible visitation and etiquette tips.
Revisit and expand on the Aspen visitor pledge. Make the pledge more visible and accessible with actions such as:
The new Aspen Pledge added lines to address kindness, alternate transportation and diversity. ACRA will be making a donation of $18.80 for each pledge signed, up to $50,000. Donations will go to signers' choice of Independence Pass Foundation or Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers.
The Aspen Pledge is running in digital local campaigns as well as being distributed on WeCycle panels around town.
The Aspen Pledge Video had a visual presence at the Aspen Airport for 2 years (2023, 2024).
Promote arts and culture even more. History, heritage, and cultural events distinguish Aspen from neighboring locations and is a source of pride for residents.
ACRA partnered to create the Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit. Co-hosted influencers in the summer of 2023 to help promote the circuit on social media.
ACRA digital co-op partnerships for arts & culture organizations beginning in 2022-2023.
ACRA's influencer policy includes attending a minimum of one cultural activity during their visit to promote on social media.
ACRA hosted Edge Outdoors in the summer of 2023 and 2024 and collaborated with the Aspen Historical Society and Skyler Lomahaftewah to share indigenous wisdom. During the retreat the Aspen Historical Society led a program with Skyler Lomahaftewah, a Northern Ute Tribal member, called Seasons of the Nuche; Tales of the Ute People. In this program they shared the history of what it is was like for the native people in Colorado and what happened in the 1880’s leading to their forced removal. Skyler also shared his experience on being a modern day Ute/American.
Ran an Arts & Culture report with the Aspen Public Radio in the summer of 2024 to enhance cultural vibrancy.
Communicate what it means to contribute to the community and preserve its small-town character.
ACRA partnered with local influencer Tae Westcott to create a short form video per month that highlights a local and/or local business in the Aspen community. This video is shared on the Aspenco social channels including Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and Youtube Shorts.
ACRA launched the Petal it Forward campaign in the summer of 2024. The Petal it Forward campaign was a community wide gesture of kindness to give thanks to those who have left a positive impact on our community. We invited both locals and to visit our pop-up flower cart at several activations throughout the summer, pick up a flower and 'petal' it forward to a community member of their choosing.
Partner with influencers to promote respectful behavior and responsible visitation in Aspen.
Showcase internal and external sustainability initiatives to demonstrate that ACRA is modeling ideal visitor behavior.
Aspen won a place among the 2022 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories in recognition of our efforts towards responsible tourism and distinctive appeal.
Aspen was among the 2023 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for blending arts & culture programming with sustainability.
Aspen won a place among the 2024 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for Climate Actions and Commitment plans.
Aspen received Mountain IDEAL certification in July 2024.
ACRA partnered with the City of Aspen to develop the Colorado Green Business Network of Aspen, the first sustainability program for businesses specific to Aspen.
Aspen earned a place in the Good Travel Guide in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Advocate for free bus service from Aspen to Glenwood.
Encourage visiting Aspen without a car and develop an education campaign showing that Aspen is small and very walkable and accessible to other low-impact forms of transportation.
A new line was added to the Aspen Pledge: I WILL TRAVEL BY FOOT, BIKE, OR BUS WHEN I CAN, AND DRIVE CAREFULLY WHEN I CANNOT.
We-Cycle station posters in 2023 "I will travel by foot, bike, or bus when I can. Explore responsibly."
An "Experience Aspen Car-free" blog was created and pushed out in a social campaign to visitors.
Start the process of turning Aspen into a walking and cycling city such as Seville, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen, et cetera.
Address the impacts of other tourism economies on Aspen, for example, the visitor pressure from Snowmass.
Promote safe driving and encourage both locals and visitors to drive slower.
A line was added to the Aspen Pledge: I WILL TRAVEL BY FOOT, BIKE, OR BUS WHEN I CAN, AND DRIVE CAREFULLY WHEN I CANNOT.
Make bridges into a toll bridge (for example, Maroon Creek Bridge) to discourage too much traffic. The toll could be free for residents.
Consider advocating for a direct shuttle between the airport and downtown.
The City of Aspen's Council adopted science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions in 2022 (63% reduction by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2050).
Establish sustainability goals for Aspen’s visitor economy.
Aspen won a place among the 2022 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories in recognition of our efforts towards responsible tourism and distinctive appeal.
Aspen was among the 2023 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for blending arts & culture programming with sustainability.
Aspen earned a place in the Good Travel Guide in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Aspen won a place among the 2024 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for Climate Actions and Commitment plans.
Aspen received Mountain IDEAL certification in July 2024, verified by the GSTC.
The City of Aspen developed the Aspen Sustainability Action Plan as a roadmap of the goals, objectives, and action items to accomplish their science based targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 63.4% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. This plan looks at what the City of Aspen can achieve or plan for in the next five to seven years. This document will be updated regularly as they accomplish items and adapt to changing science, climatological conditions, and national dynamics.
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies could be a helpful partner to identify focus areas and amplify advocacy efforts.
ACRA hosts the Maroon Bells Reservation system on our website
ACRA is a funding partner for the Maroon Bells Comprehensive Recreation Management Plan
Forest Service approved a special recreation permit fee for overnight camping in the most heavily impacted areas of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness to better manage and protect the iconic wilderness destination.
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies partnered with ACRA on 2024 Potbelly Perspectives series.
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies partnered with ACRA on 2025 Potbelly Perspectives series.
The Aspen Indigenous Foundation is also a potential partner to enhance sustainability efforts. It is vital to respect and learn from Indigenous principles and practices.
ACRA hosted Edge Outdoors in the summer of 2023 and 2024 and collaborated with the Aspen Historical Society and Skyler Lomahaftewah to share indigenous wisdom. During the retreat the Aspen Historical Society led a program with Skyler Lomahaftewah, a Northern Ute Tribal member, called Seasons of the Nuche; Tales of the Ute People. In this program they shared the history of what it is was like for the native people in Colorado and what happened in the 1880’s leading to their forced removal. Skyler also shared his experience on being a modern day Ute/American.
Advocate for the preservation of land outside of the urban growth boundary.
Work with stakeholders to raise funds that support the preservation and regeneration of the natural environment. This could include:
Pledge for the Wild partnership (2020-2022)
Track progress and measure the sustainability of the destination.
Aspen won a place among the 2022 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories in recognition of our efforts towards responsible tourism and distinctive appeal.
Aspen was among the 2023 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for blending arts & culture programming with sustainability.
Aspen won a place among the 2024 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for Climate Actions and Commitment plans.
Aspen received Mountain IDEAL certification in July 2024.
ACRA partnered with the City of Aspen to develop the Colorado Green Business Network of Aspen, the first sustainability program for businesses specific to Aspen.
Aspen internally tracks progress through our Mountain Ideal platform which serves as toolkit to track sustainability progress and is regularly updated and reviewed by Green Destinations.
In the tourism sector globally, roughly 75% of emissions can be attributed to transportation. Air and road emissions will be the largest contributors to transportation emissions in Aspen.
Atlantic Aviation's carbon offset program at Aspen FBO
Group business travel offset through The Good Traveler
Leverage ACRA’s strength in communication to execute educational initiatives.
The Travel Beyond Podcast - Aspen Season
ACRA partnered with the City of Aspen to develop the Colorado Green Business Network of Aspen, the first sustainability program for businesses specific to Aspen.
Establish climate action goals.
Limit actions to promote the off-season. Many residents indicated that seasonal dispersal is not the path they want to pursue.
Co-create a campaign with residents with the objective of preserving the soul of Aspen. Determining how to preserve the soul of Aspen will enhance both the visitor and resident experience.
ACRA launched the Petal it Forward campaign in the summer of 2024. The Petal it Forward campaign was a community wide gesture of kindness to give thanks to those who have left a positive impact on our community. We invited both locals and to visit our pop-up flower cart at several activations throughout the summer, pick up a flower and 'petal' it forward to a community member of their choosing.
Work with operators to develop tourism experiences to engage visitors on a deeper level, limiting mass tourism offerings and emphasizing the development of transformational niche experiences.
Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit
Improve and rethink wayfinding, particularly in directing visitors to low-impact experiences.
Maintain some backstage experiences for residents. Decide which experiences should be reserved for residents with community input.
The USFS informed ACRA that they would prefer to have the volume of people at the trails that can handle the visitation because they have the infrastructure in place. ACRA stopped promoting “lesser known” trails, a previous dispersion tactic.
At the December 2024 Wintersköl ACRA introduced the Ice Breaker Bash, an event for local community members to come together, reconnect, meet new neighbors, and soak in the winter vibes in the heart of our community.
Better support small local businesses. One way to accomplish this is to set up a cross-selling program where businesses are incentivized to refer customers to other local businesses.
10 Aspen Gifts for the Holiday
ACRA partnered with the City of Aspen to develop the Colorado Green Business Network of Aspen, the first sustainability program for businesses specific to Aspen.
Stop advertising to your direct-fly markets. Aspen is a very established brand, and people will not stay away because they do not see the ads anymore.
Stop advertising to the luxury market for now since these individuals will visit anyways.
Pursue passion- and value-based targeting instead of geography and demographics. Invest in netnographic research (“passionography”).
Make sure diverse audiences see themselves in promotional and educational material.
How to get outdoors in Aspen if you are living with a disability
Hosting diverse influencers
Hiring diverse models for new video and photo assets
Hosted Edge Outdoors in the summer of 2023 and 2024. Conducted photoshoots throughout their retreat to use in marketing & other promotional material.
Partnered with the Colorado Tourism Office for a summer of 2024 shoot where we utilized diverse models.
Continue efforts for multilingual communications (particularly Spanish).
ACRA translated the new Aspen Pledge into Spanish: https://aspenchamber.org/espanol
ACRA ran ads in RFTA summer 2024 hat were in Spanish.
Increase efforts to be a cultural tourism concierge since this is an important aspect of Aspen’s DNA and the type of visitor that aligns well with Aspenites’ values.
Wheeler Opera House Visitor Center
Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit
Ran an Arts & Culture report with the Aspen Public Radio in the summer of 2024 to enhance cultural vibrancy.
Engage with the Aspen Indigenous Foundation to support their initiatives, develop cultural experiences, and attract passion-aligned visitors.
ACRA hosted Edge Outdoors in the summer of 2023 and 24 and collaborated with the Aspen Historical Society and Skyler Lomahaftewah to share indigenous wisdom. During the retreat the Aspen Historical Society led a program with Skyler Lomahaftewah, a Northern Ute Tribal member, called Seasons of the Nuche; Tales of the Ute People. In this program they shared the history of what it is was like for the native people in Colorado and what happened in the 1880’s leading to their forced removal. Skyler also shared his experience on being a modern day Ute/American.
Catalog and promote experiences that have low impact and ideally positive social benefits, such as biophilia-based activities.
Partnered with the Roaring Fork Valley Destination Alliance and Roaring Fork Volunteer Outdoors to promote voluntourism opportunities throughout the valley in 2024.
Increase the highlighting of sustainable restaurants (plant-based and locally sourced ingredients), for example, in recommended itineraries.
https://aspenchamber.org/blog/farm-table-aspen
https://aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/trip-highlights/locally-grown
https://aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/itineraries/culinary-delights
https://aspenchamber.org/blog/vegetarian-vegan-and-gluten-free-dining-aspen
Farm-to-table dining highlight in 2022 spring/summer/fall brochure
https://aspenchamber.org/blog/colorado-green-business-network-aspen-bosq
Feature public transportation and other forms of low-impact transportation as the primary way to get around. Feature offsetting options through The Good Traveler when air transportation is mentioned.
The Good Traveler - Aspen Pitkin County Airport partnership. ACRA offsets all employee work travel through this program.
Group business travel offset through The Good Traveler.
We-Cycle station posters in 2023 "I will travel by foot, bike, or bus when I can. Explore responsibly."
https://aspenchamber.org/blog/ditch-car-experience-aspens-best-foot-and-bus
Continue to encourage voluntourism activities such as tree planting, clean-ups, or other activities that have restorative and regenerative effects.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Partnered with the Roaring Fork Valley Destination Alliance and Roaring Fork Volunteer Outdoors to promote voluntourism opportunities throughout the valley in 2024.
Signal to operators that more attention will be focused on sustainable experiences and operations so that they are incentivized to reshape their offerings.
Expand eco-friendly signage and markings on maps so that visitors are more likely to participate in sustainable offerings.
Encourage Chamber members to improve sustainable sourcing practices.
Encourage the respect of Indigenous principles and promote Indigenous experiences more.
Work with government and industry stakeholders to develop a plan to phase out single-use plastics.
Ensure that an expanded definition of visitor economy-related businesses understand how integral they are to the tourism industry and feel the benefits of tourism. This initiative is about bringing stakeholders together and building relationships.
Look at opportunities/experiences regionally that could have lower impact, such as hiking between towns.
Aspen to Crested Butte Hike Guide
Engage residents to assist in defining the types of tourism experiences/businesses they want in the destination. This can be accomplished through 360-degree feedback initiatives.
The DMO can suggest and advocate for evolving job opportunities in tourism that residents benefit from:- Free tours: leverage the freetour movement and engage local tour guides. - Farm-to-table concepts: support local food producers and restaurants.- Niche travel: target aligned travelers who have a positive impact on locals. - Travel with subject experts: local experts will be needed, from birdwatchers to uphill skiers. - Immersive tourism: create possibilities for people that want to stay longer.
By actively promoting Aspen’s “mind, body, spirit” mentality, perhaps ACRA can encourage all residents to give back.
Advocate for a tax on short-term rental properties where the funds are allocated towards affordable housing initiatives.
In the November 8th, 2022 election, registered voters approved a short-term rental measure on the ballot.
Support or advocate for a short-term accommodation study that supports the ongoing discussion with reliable data.
Advocate for the development of additional affordable housing and affordable housing ratios.
Establish a seat at the table for initiatives that are addressing the housing crisis so that the challenge is seen through a visitor economy lens, Chamber members have a voice representing them, and tourism can play a role in the solutions.
ACRA Sponsored the 2023 Habitat for Humanity Inaugural Regional Summit on Equitable Housing Solutions for the Roaring Fork & Colorado River Valleys.
Develop a communication strategy that demonstrates how the tourism industry is participating in housing crisis solutions.
Create an ambassador program. Provide incentives to locals to engage with the visitor economy and communicate the value in tourism.
Encourage local industry associations to bring their events to Aspen (e.g., law conferences, et cetera)
Engage with local environmental groups and organize an end-of-season clean-up day. Turn this into an event that goes viral.
ACRA sponsors Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteer days and staff participate. Two days were sponsored both in 2022 and 2023.
Partnered with the Roaring Fork Valley Destination Alliance and Roaring Fork Volunteer Outdoors to promote voluntourism opportunities throughout the valley in 2024.
Encourage visitors to participate in voluntourism and other activities with a positive environmental and community impact.
Corporate Social Responsibility
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies partnered with ACRA on the 2024 Potbelly Perspectives series and 2025 Potbelly Perspectives series.
Partnered with the Roaring Fork Valley Destination Alliance and Roaring Fork Volunteer Outdoors to promote voluntourism opportunities throughout the valley in 2024
Encourage community members through engagement and education to provide better quality customer experiences.
Actions with impact are actions that express the DNA of your community and are co-created and/or executed with your residents. Actions with impact are emblematic of your strategy. They are components of the regional story and also the means of telling that story. They give substance to the messages designed for visitors and residents. Actions with Impact have intrinsic communicative power and can take the form of innovation, legislation, an attribute that residents share, or a coordinated act that expresses the region’s Place DNA. Effective actions with impact are suggestive, remarkable, memorable, picturesque, newsworthy, topical, and/or poetic.
Aspen needs to choose a purpose-based action that expresses the identity of the region. This type of action has multiple objectives:
Stakeholders mentioned during the engagement process that they appreciated previous campaigns that had intrinsic symbolic value such as “Faces of Aspen”, “Heroes”, and “Relax, it’s Aspen”. You could even turn The Aspen Pledge into a more visible and celebrated action with impact.
Ran an International Women's Month series on our social channels that highlighted different local Aspen women and their accomplishments & contributions to the community.
