You may have seen the signs posted in your favorite businesses around town or come across the messages while scrolling through Instagram. The eye catching block lettered logo: Do Palisade Right, the kind of photos you might take when you’re out enjoying a fun day around town, and six tips with cheerful graphics.
But where did Do Palisade Right come from, and what’s it all about?
Hilary Lewkowitz, Director of Destination Development & Sustainability at the Colorado Tourism Office, joins me to talk about the Do Colorado Right campaign (a statewide campaign that Do Palisade Right is part of), how her team works with cities and towns to capture their unique voice, what campaigns like this are intended to do, how visitors can explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully, and how residents can do right by visitors.
More about the Colorado Tourism Office: LINK
More about Do Palisade Right: LINK
Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
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Transcript:
Welcome to Postcards From Palisade, where we hear from the people who are shaping our slice of western Colorado. I’m Lisa McNamara.
You may have seen the signs posted in your favorite businesses around town or come across the messages while scrolling through Instagram. The eye catching block lettered logo: Do Palisade Right, the kind of photos you might take when you’re out enjoying a fun day around town, and six tips with cheerful graphics.
The messaging sounds familiar, friendly:
Leave it Hanging: Let fruit be on the tree
Steer Clear of Private Property: Respect private gates and signs in fruit and wine country
Pedal Proper: Keep it upright and let the good times roll
Slow Down & Enjoy: Wave, it’s what we do here
Tame the Toast: Drink in all Palisade has to offer in a chill manner
Water Up!: It’s high and dry here, so stay hydrated
It sounds like a list of things you might tell your friends and family when they come visit…in addition to load up on sunscreen and bring lots of hats and layers, of course!
So where did Do Palisade Right come from and what does it mean?
Today Hilary Lewkowitz, Director of Destination Development & Sustainability at the Colorado Tourism Office, joins me via Zoom to talk about the Do Colorado Right campaign, a statewide campaign that Do Palisade Right is part of, how her team works with cities and towns to capture their unique voice, what campaigns like this are intended to do, how visitors can explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully, and how residents can do right by visitors.
Hear all about it on today’s Postcard from Palisade.
Hilary Lewkowitz: My name is Hilary Lewkowitz, and I’m the director of destination development and sustainability at the Colorado tourism office, which is a division of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. And we sit within the governor’s office at the state of Colorado.
LM: And where are you based?
HL: I am based in Ridgway, so not too far from Palisade. Yeah.
LM: I know that you’ve been involved in creating do fill in the blank town, right campaigns across the state of Colorado. So the Do Palisade Right is something that just recently, I think, was released. And so, just curious as, a, podcast that’s more aimed towards residents than visitors of Palisade. I’d love to understand a little bit more about it from that perspective and just, so what is the overall goal of campaigns like this?
HL: Yeah, and I’ll start, like, kind of go a little bit back in history to the statewide Do Colorado Right campaign, which was started during the pandemic. we have had a long time partnership with leave no trace. And through leave no trace, the care for Colorado, leave no trace principles were created, and obviously, those are more centered around outdoor recreation. And then the pandemic happened, and we realized that there needed to be some type of campaign that set visitor expectations and best practices that looked outside of just outdoor recreation and public lands.
And that’s when Do Colorado Right was born, and, really focused more on pandemic best practices and expectations for people visiting the state and traveling around the state. and then one other sort of challenge, that we’ve had around any of our statewide campaigns, and even the care for Colorado leave no trace principles is that every community is unique and has their own unique challenges, and interactions with visitors. And so, messaging that might be appropriate for Palisade, for example, wouldn’t be appropriate for a community like Leadville. So that’s where the sort of concept came to personalize the Do Colorado Right campaigns for communities that were interested in it is, you know, really understanding, you know, what those priority impacts are within the community. What are those pain points that could be potentially, mitigated through education and then creating campaign messaging based on that.
LM: And how do you find out, what are those key points? Because we have six key points for Palisade. And how do you get to that essence of what is really important to this community?
HL: Yeah, so, the city of Palisade, as well, as the city of Fruita, participated in two strategic planning programs through the destination development department here at the Colorado tourism office. They participated in the Restart Destinations program and the reimagine destinations program. those two programs, they were eleven month programs, that included a destination assessment, a full day workshop, and then 100 hours of consulting. That destination assessment included, a stakeholder survey and a resident sentiment survey to really understand what’s going on in the communities. And based on that, how can we help with strategic planning to make some changes, We typically, to develop these campaigns, Community, ah, has participated in one of these programs, our new program that’s based on the restart and reimagine programs is called Destination blueprint. it’s basically our newer iteration of the program. Those other two programs that Palisade participated in were through a federal Cares act grant, so that funding expired, and then we created this new program, and so a big component of it is really just that surveying piece.
And so understanding, from a resident perspective, what are those challenges with visitors, and also from a tourism stakeholder perspective. So our local businesses, our local organizations, our public land agency manager is making sure that they’ve filled out that survey, and we start to understand that baseline. We also create a core team, for the strategic planning process, which is usually around six to ten, tourism leaders in the community that also provide feedback. And then when we’re diving in deeper, especially when it comes to those pain points, we’ll do more in depth interviews with public land agency managers and other, stakeholders that do have that, sort of like, daily interface with visitors where they might be having impacts that they’re seeing. Based on that, we’ll then sort of look at that full list of priorities and see, you know, where. Where can this actually be influenced by education? because in some cases enforcement is more appropriate. And also, you know, what is that priority? We know that there’s maybe a longer list, but really, what’s those, like top five to seven messages, that we can share the visitors that will have a positive impact.
LM: Interesting. So there’s, it’s not something that’s kind of taken lightly or just, yeah, this sounds like a huge effort and a lot of time was put into distilling the messages.
HL: Yeah, I would say typically it’s a six to twelve month process. the goal is to net, you know, certainly things change over time. You know, obviously we’ve seen sort of the ebb and flow of visitation with the pandemic and so we’re seeing potentially less visitors and they might be doing different things because, during the pandemic we just had a lot more people who were like getting out for the first time. So we might see some lessening of those impacts from like new users. But the goal would be to not change it, to change the messaging and to have it be consistent over time. And so we wanted to make sure this was something that was, you know, had input from any stakeholder, and then also that if they’re giving input, they’d be more likely to adopt it. So if the Forest service is involved or, you know, bureau of Land Management or a local business, if they had input into the process, they would be more likely to then share that messaging.
LM: That makes sense. Yeah. So why are, why are campaigns like this important? Like what’s the, what’s the reason that we even do things like this?
HL: Yeah, so, there’s a really fine balance in tourism, between tourism marketing and tourism management. And really we obviously want to share the beautiful places that we live, but we also want to do it in a way that we have. Visitors have a low impact on our community, on our public lands, but a high economic impact. So how do we really, you know, if you’re not controlling that narrative and providing that education, then, you know, there’s potential for more negative impacts of tourism. So really our goal sort of like ladders up, to the mission and the vision of the CTO of really being able to provide a high quality experience for our visitors while enhancing local quality of life and protecting our environment.
LM: who is the target audience for this sort of campaign? Like who do you hope is going to be reached by it and pick up the message and say, oh, you’re right, I really should kind of slow down and wave to neighbors and who’s the person who’s going to actually take that input and use it?
HL: Yeah. So a part of the development of each of these customized Do Colorado Right campaigns, and we do have 18 total across the state right now. includes a, ah, marketing strategy. And, the strategy looks at all the different points in the visitor lifecycle, meaning there’s sort of that point where somebody’s researching the destination, but they haven’t committed yet. And then there’s the booking stage, and then they’ve arrived at the destination. And so there’s always different touch points in communication. so ideally it’d be anybody coming to the destination, they’re gonna be going to local restaurants, they’re gonna be driving on the roads, they’re going to be going out on trails.
And so I think it’s appropriate for anybody who is visiting a community to have, that exposure to that education. and one of the goals of the campaign would be that it’s not just the city of Palisade that’s sharing that messaging. It’s also local businesses and organizations and it’s at events. So they’re getting hit from multiple touch points. I also do think that, you know, in some cases, depending on the community, it’s also appropriate for residents as well. especially when you think about sort of our impacts on public lands. I think it’s good for any new user to understand what those expectations are.
LM: there’s always the people who feel like they don’t want people coming in and quote, unquote, spoiling their community, or they don’t want them to know about their things. I’m sure you deal with that kind of sentiment from residents of a town everywhere. so what do you say to kind of counter that, for people who are saying, you know, shh, don’t say anything about my town. I don’t want people to know about it. I don’t want it to be overrun.
HL: Yeah, I think I always tell folks that you want to control the narrative. You meaning the community wants to control the narrative. So, people are going to find out about whatever great place there is in Colorado. there is a lot of information out on the web, there’s a lot of information on social media. We are not the only ones. Our local destination marketing and management organizations, our local businesses are not the only ones talking about our communities. so people are going to find out, but if we can control the narrative, meaning when it is being marketed, that it’s done in a way that is respectful of the local community, that provides information that’s appropriate, and also provides that education component.
You’re more likely that when people show up, they are going to have that sort of high economic impact, low community and public land impact. And so that’s sort of the ideal scenario, but we’ve kind of pushed. There was sort of like a narrative within tourism for a while of, you know, like, let’s just not talk about the place, and therefore it doesn’t exist. But the reality is, is that information is already out there. And really, you know, when you search on Google, I would much rather see, you know, the visit Palisade website show up and the Do Palisade Right messaging show up, number one versus user generated content that’s going to say whatever it’s going to say that you don’t have any control over. So, that’s typically where we’re like, kind of pushing folks now.
LM: Yeah, yeah, I can hear that. So you’re saying, let’s thoughtfully explain what Palisade is to people. Let’s have that be their first interaction with, Palisade as an example for a destination versus, you know, Mrs. Smith’s blog about, say, going to 25 wineries in one day or something like that.
HL: Exactly. The other piece, I think is important, too, is that, you know, a lot of our communities, especially rural communities across Colorado, the, you know, we are reliant on the tourism economy to fuel our economy, and that trickles down across, you know, from somebody who’s a frontline worker to a guide service, to even, you know, like a landscape company. So we’re all kind of impacted by the tourism economy. And when you do pull those marketing dollars away, we’re starting to see tourism, visitation drop, and then you start to lose that positive economic impact. So it is still important to market. I think it’s marketing strategically, that’s really the key.
LM: Reading a little bit about your background. you’ve had an awesome career, doing really interesting things. And what I thought was interesting is your background in sustainable tourism management. can you talk a little bit more about what is sustainable tourism management and what drew you to that as a career?
HL: so originally I have my bachelor’s of science in environmental science, and I was in the fisheries biology and conservation field for a number of years and noticing that I was, like, collecting data on endangered species, but it wasn’t actually impacting a behavior change or a policy change. And so I shifted into outdoor education, and was traveling a lot and loved traveling, as most people do, but was also seeing that there was a lot of negative impacts that could potentially come with tourism. And so I got interested in this idea of, like, is there a thing called sustainable tourism? And so I literally did a Google search, and there was. There is a master’s, ah, degree program at the University of Utah around sustainable tourism management.
And so I applied, and I ended up, getting my master’s degree there. and, you know, sustainable tourism is. It’s a fairly broad, sort of concept that’s really evolved over the years, too, but sort of originally it was like, minimizing the negative impacts on tourism and maximizing the positive benefits on tourism. And I think that is still very true. And that’s across all the touch points of tourism, whether that’s environmental, socioeconomic, cultural, it’s all those different pieces that tourism touches in a community.
One of a more newer concept, is around regenerative tourism. And so how can tourism actually have a positive impact, not just minimizing, but really leaving a place better than they found it? so we’ve been doing a lot of work with different partners across the state about how can we create programs where visitors can actually volunteer their time or provide a financial donation to organizations that, are positively impacting a community. So it really is. I think tourism can be a force for good. I really do believe that, but that’s not coming without a lot of strategy and planning to make that happen. It doesn’t naturally occur.
LM: Yeah, sure. What would be a specific example of a destination with a program where someone could volunteer or, or give back to the community? If you can share anything yet.
HL: Yeah, I can. We have two, two areas that we’ve been working in for a number of years that participated in very similar programs as Palisade. One is Visit Leadville Twin Lakes. And we worked with them, to help develop, in partnership with the forest service, the, friends of Lake county. so it’s a friends of group, they have stewardship projects on public lands, from campground cleanups to trail maintenance. and it’s a way, you know, they do promote that through the Visit Leadville Twin Lakes website. And so a visitor could sign up for a half day, you know, stewardship project, and also meet community members and be up in the mountains. And they also created a Do Leadville Twin Lakes Right campaign. And so they’re growing that program to include a trailhead ambassador program around that campaign.
Another example is, the roaring Fork Valley. and, they’ve partnered, the five destination marketing and management organizations there, partnered with the roaring Fork outdoor volunteers organization. And so they have, I believe, five service projects across the roaring Fork Valley this summer, and they’re similar. They are promoting it across all of their websites for a way for visitors to get out in the mountains, volunteer, and give back to the community either like a half day or a full day. A lot of this is modeled off of, the Colorado 14ers initiative as well. They have had an incredibly successful, volunteer program every summer where people actually do travel from out of state to, to volunteer for a weekend. And that also gets them out in the mountains and meeting new people.
LM: Yeah. It’s such a unique way to experience a place, I’ve done something similar in grand staircase escalante national monument, where, we did, like, a full day graffiti cleanup in one of the slot canyons. And having been there multiple times before that and after that, visiting, that was just a really unique trip because it gave you a completely different perspective, and you really got to spend some time with the BLM people and people running organizations and locals. And it was such a cool, immersive experience. So it’s exciting to hear that other, organizations around Colorado are doing the same thing.
HL: Yeah. And there’s a new trend. I think Copenhagen’s, like, the first destination that’s doing it, where they have volunteer opportunities, and then if a visitor participates in a volunteer opportunity, they then receive discounts to go to an attraction, to a museum, for example. So they’re incentivizing, their trips, and I think we’ll probably start to see that trend around Colorado as well. It feels very similar to a few years back when we had the pledge, that came out, and a lot of destinations hopped on the pledge idea. and so I think it’ll be really cool to see how that gets integrated into, our communities across the state and if it’s successful.
LM: Yeah. Interesting. so we talked a lot about how can a visitor do right by a place? But on the other side of that, how can residents do right by visitors?
HL: You know, that’s something I think about a lot as a resident of a rural community. And one that is a pretty heavily trafficked, tourist destination is that, I think it’s a lot of patience, right? I think sometimes they drive a little bit slower, and that’s fine. We have to be patient about that. or maybe they take a wrong turn because they’re following their gps. and so I think just having that level of patience and remembering that we also like to travel. And gosh, it wouldn’t be just terrible if every time we traveled, people were rude to us. We went somewhere. Like, I’d like to think that, you know, like, putting myself in somebody’s shoes because I love traveling and knowing that I can show up somewhere and somebody’s going to be friendly and not just angry at me because I’m going a little bit slower, or I take a wrong turn. So I think that’s super important.
and also just realizing it’s a part of our economy, and I think one of the challenges with tourism is that it’s in our face, right? It’s not, like a manufacturing plant that’s shoved on the side of the industrial park in town. It’s all around us. And so it’s one that really, we have to be cognizant of the fact that in order to have this economy means that there’s going to be some more people in town during certain months, or a restaurant might be busy. and so just having that awareness of the fact that it is an economy that fortunately for it to run, we’re going to have some level of an impact.
But I think if we can all work together, and think more solutions oriented about how we can find the right balance, that’s the best way to move forward. And I seen, like, a lot of communities who have, ah, you know, tourism is a big part of their economy, but they refuse to put funding towards it or refuse to think strategically about it, and it just runs them over. and then I’ve seen others that, communities really come together, and I think Leadville is a fantastic example where, like, some amazing work’s been done and some really positive benefits are coming out. Staying solution oriented, staying positive, and providing constructive feedback when it’s appropriate.
LM: Yeah, that’s fair. so I’ll edit this out if the answer is no but have you been to Palisade? And what’s your favorite thing to do here?
HL: Yes, I have been to Palisade, and I wish I’ve spent more time there. but I think, you know, I like just strolling down the street, being by the river, the local trails. Like, it’s just such a, it’s such a beautiful spot with, like, uber convenience. Right? Like, it’s just, like, literally right off the 70. So I think having that real, true feeling of, like, Colorado, that’s, you know, so accessible, it’s just a really, really neat thing. And also, I think, like, you know, palisade is the first community to create a campaign that’s centered around agritourism, and wine tourism. And so it’s been just super interesting to see, like, just how unique the community is, compared to other places in Colorado. Like, you really are a special place and special community.
This type of work and making this campaign come alive, obviously, support from the Colorado tourism office and, both through the program. So capacity and expertise, and financial support. But these programs really, and campaigns don’t really take off without incredible leadership from the community. So, kudos to the Palisade tourism board for, you know, really just taking it and running with it. it’s just so important, and I think, a lot of times, just underappreciated what tourism leadership can do when they put their minds to it. So, well done by them.
LM: Yeah. Yeah. Good shout out. Definitely. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you, being willing to talk and do this. I really appreciate your time.
HL: Yeah. Well, thanks for the opportunity, and thanks for thinking about this campaign. it’s really just great to see it come alive. And so, thanks.
LM: We’re at about the midpoint of the tourist season and it feels like it’s been hot for as long as I can remember. Which I love by the way. But I keep thinking about the idea of doing right by visitors. Many of us first saw Palisade as visitors and the friendly locals were probably one of the reasons that we wanted to be a part of this place. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I want to roll my eyes at some outlandish but perfectly safe tourist behavior. Who knows, that person might be my neighbor next year!
The podcast’s theme music is Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
Thanks for listening. With love, from Palisade.