{"id":46548,"date":"2021-05-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/another-surge-in-tourism-expected-this-summer-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:32:09","slug":"another-surge-in-tourism-expected-this-summer-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/another-surge-in-tourism-expected-this-summer-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Another surge in tourism expected this summer in Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Summer
Summer bookings with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are ahead of 2019\u2019s pace, and that was considered a good year for the train. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>JERRY McBRIDE<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The surprise bump in tourism last year, when people searching for remote, outdoor recreation opportunities found a fit in Southwest Colorado, is expected to extend into this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what I\u2019ve been calling La Plata County\u2019s unique advantages will continue to work in our favor, for sure,\u201d said Visit Durango Executive Director Rachel Brown. \u201cWe\u2019re rural, we\u2019re remote and outdoor rec is abundant here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is seeing solid bookings for summer, and train executives believe they have a chance to carry 200,000 riders this year.<\/p>\n

Solid indications for a good tourism season are also coming from Steamworks Brewing Co. and the Strater Hotel.<\/p>\n

With COVID-19 more under control, Kris Oyler, co-founder and CEO of Peak Food & Beverage, believes Durango is set up for an excellent tourism season.<\/p>\n

Durango is principally a leisure tourism market \u2013 meaning conferences and business meetings aren\u2019t factors here \u2013 and that too is working in the city\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

\"Tori
Tori Ossola, general manager at the Strater Hotel, said the return of Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train trips to Silverton is especially helpful to the historic inn. Many tourists pair rides on the historic railroad with stays at the inn, which was built in 1887, the heyday of the steam locomotive. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>JERRY McBRIDE<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Brown said tourism experts believe leisure tourism \u201cwill bounce back far more quickly\u201d than conventions, conferences and business travel.<\/p>\n

\u201cNationally, they\u2019re predicting travel will have fully rebounded by December of 2022. I would say we will be significantly ahead of that, just because we\u2019re rural and we\u2019re remote,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

Last year, tourism marketing was limited to educating travelers about safe practices during the pandemic and reminding people to keep Durango in mind for future years when travel would once again be safe.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s $300,000 \u201cAlways in Season\u201d marketing campaign returns to a more normal message, but Brown said the focus this year will be getting people to visit from October to May, the nonpeak season.<\/p>\n

Encouraging off-season travel is aimed at building a more sustainable visitation pattern \u2013 spreading visitors through the year and lightening their impact on the environment.<\/p>\n

Still, other things from the COVID-19 pandemic linger.<\/p>\n

Visit Durango\u2019s homepage encourages everyone who visits this summer to be fully vaccinated before their arrival.<\/p>\n

Visit Durango is also buying billboards in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, two new markets that will be served with flights to Durango this summer.<\/p>\n

The radius people are willing to drive for excursions has expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that\u2019s another reason why Brown believes Durango is primed for a good summer. Some drivers are willing to travel as far as 10 hours by car.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the era of the road trip right now for obvious reasons,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Oyler said tourism season appears to have started in mid-May this year \u2013 a few weeks ahead of the traditional Memorial Day weekend and the running of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.<\/p>\n

Besides Steamworks, Peak Food & Beverage operates Bird\u2019s and El Moro Spirits and Tavern.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing more out-of-town visitors in our restaurants than we normally would this time of year,\u201d Oyler said. \u201cTypically, the season kicks off big time Memorial Day weekend. But it doesn\u2019t get super busy until mid-June. But we\u2019re already seeing it ramp up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown said pent-up demand for travel is leading to an early start to summer travel this year.<\/p>\n

Nationwide, research indicates 89% of people plan to travel this summer, and 43% of households have saved some of the $1,400 in stimulus money they received in March to pay for their trips.<\/p>\n

Oyler said, \u201cI think there\u2019s a demand to go out and do something because people were bottled up for a year and a half. I think that\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tori Ossola, general manager of the Strater Hotel, says a simple return to normal with the D&SNG resuming trips to Silverton and bus groups once again allowed on the roads will help.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe train\u2019s anticipating a good summer. And that always helps the Strater because people want that full experience \u2013 the historic hotel and the historic train ride,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bus tours frequently pair train rides with Strater stays. The resumption of those group tour excursions means the return of a steady stream of tourists and revenue.<\/p>\n

For the next three weeks, the Strater Hotel is booked at 90% occupancy, Ossola said.<\/p>\n

The biggest worry emerging in Durango, she said, is the ability to hire staff members to meet demand.<\/p>\n

Enhanced unemployment benefits, offering an extra $300 a week, remain in place through Sept. 6, and that\u2019s shrinking the labor pool.<\/p>\n

Currently, the Strater has 15 open positions.<\/p>\n

Ossola said the inn is rearranging its work schedule and is offering plenty of overtime.<\/p>\n

The Strater\u2019s restaurants are closed Mondays and Tuesdays because of staffing difficulties. Ossola is aiming to have the Strater\u2019s restaurants open seven days a week by next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith housekeeping, we\u2019re getting through it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt might mean I end up cleaning a room here and there. Right now, it\u2019s a team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Johnson, general manager of the D&SNG, said bookings for summer are running ahead of the 2019 season, when the train carried 189,500 passengers.<\/p>\n

If bookings continue at the current pace, Johnson says it\u2019s not out of question the train will carry 200,000 riders this year.<\/p>\n

Johnson said the train\u2019s peak ridership came in the early or mid-1990s, when it carried 213,000 passengers.<\/p>\n

\"Passengers
Passengers riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train still must wear masks based on federal requirements. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>JERRY McBRIDE<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

This year\u2019s strong bookings come despite a federal mandate that all passengers in buses, airplanes and trains still wear masks.<\/p>\n

With more people fully vaccinated, the federal mandate requiring masks for ridership in public transportation might be lifted, and that should spur even greater demand, Johnson said.<\/p>\n

The mandates, required by the Federal Railroad Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, are poorly understood by the public, and that\u2019s led D&SNG staff members to spend extra time explaining to passengers why masks are still required aboard the train.<\/p>\n

\u201cMask requirements have changed over the past few weeks, and a lot of people are struggling with why we\u2019re still requiring them,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

parmijo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This story has been updated to note the nonpeak tourism season runs from October to May.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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