TTB launches destination management plan
Loving a place to death: How much tourism is too much tourism?
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Had it up to here with tourists? Or does tourism help you or your business stay afloat? Here is your chance to share your feelings about living in a tourist town that sees more than its share of visitation.
The Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Joint Powers Board (TTB) is calling on community members living or working in Teton County, Wyoming, to share their opinions and help shape the future of tourism for the region via a resident tourism sentiment survey launching Wednesday, February 23. The survey is the first of several opportunities enabling the greater Jackson community to play an active role in developing a Sustainable Destination Management Plan (SDMP).
Recognizing that great destinations are great places to live, work, and visit, sustainable destination management balances the needs and expectations of visitors with the priorities of local residents, businesses, and the environment. This includes the planning, development, marketing, and monitoring of how destinations are managed physically, operationally, and financially.
A central focus of the SDMP is to foster greater collaboration with, and alignment between, local governments, tourism industry stakeholders, enterprise leaders, nonprofit and social services managers, public land managers, residents, the diverse workforce, and neighboring communities. The survey responses will help inform how the JHTTB incorporates shared community values and priorities as they relate to tourism and destination management.
“We are calling on the community to get involved and help us shape the future of tourism for Teton County by providing input that will help us understand how tourism is impacting them in both good and bad ways,” said Crista Valentino, TTB board member and chair of the SDMP committee. “A sustainable tourism plan has the ability to protect the natural environment and preserve the local culture that visitors travel here for and residents stay here for.”
The SDMP builds upon the efforts of valued and well-established community partners and their pioneering work on sustainability initiatives. A steering committee of engaged community stakeholders is providing oversight for the planning process, which focuses on elevating existing sustainability initiatives that sets Jackson Hole apart as a global leader.
The process to create a new roadmap for tourism will further establish community understanding of sustainability and its value, as well as ensuring community support and developing a sense of shared responsibility for managing Jackson Hole from a tourism perspective. Throughout the planning and implementation process, residents are invited to participate in shaping collective visions for the future of tourism in Jackson Hole. Several community informational and engagement events are being scheduled for March 2022 and will be announced soon.
