Vail's Stewardship Roadmap

Over the last year, the Town of Vail created Vail's Stewardship Roadmap, with the goals of:

  • Managing the growth of our tourism economy,
  • Protecting our way of life and the natural environment that we all love, and
  • Maintaining a world-class experience for our visitors and residents.

Why Is This a Priority?

There’s no doubt that we’ve reached a critical juncture for our town. Amid a global pandemic, when many destinations across the globe were seeing significant drops in visitation levels, Vail continues to see record-breaking numbers of visitors. This surge in visitation is putting pressure on natural resources and infrastructure, amplifying issues related to workforce and housing, and placing our residents and visitors at odds with one another.

What Is Destination Stewardship?

“Destination stewardship” is a strategic approach to tourism management that focuses on environmental, social and economic sustainability. We know that tourism is an important economic engine for our community. But we also know that tourism in a place as unique as Vail must be done in a way that preserves all that makes our community such a special place to live, work and visit.

How Will It Be Achieved?

The Destination Stewardship Plan will be developed through a community-driven process. Hundreds of regional stakeholders will be actively included in the process through a variety of engagements including interviews, town hall meetings, surveys, and focus groups.

Thanks For Your Involvement

Vail’s Stewardship Roadmap rests on a rich foundation of community engagement. More than 3,000 opinions were shared by locals. These included 2,580 who responded to surveys and nearly 500 who showed up to share their views in person.

  • 1,465 Answered tourism-related questions in the biennial Vail Community Survey.
  • 986 Responded to a Vail resident survey.
  • 132 Took the downvalley resident survey.
  • 12 Focus groups on different tourism-related topics included about 180 locals. One was conducted in Spanish.
  • 8 Public Engagement Sessions drew about 250 attendees. Six were in person at the Donovan Pavilion and two were on Zoom.
  • 30 Or more took part in one-on-one in-depth interviews.
  • 6 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Partners, plus Mayor Kim Langmaid, shared high-level oversight. They included the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Holy Cross Energy, the USDA Forest Service, the Vail Recreation District, Vail Resorts, and Walking Mountain Science Center.
  • 1 Daylong visioning session brought together more than 25 community members to create a planning framework.


The Destination Stewardship Plan will be created in collaboration with:



Over the last year, the Town of Vail created Vail's Stewardship Roadmap, with the goals of:

  • Managing the growth of our tourism economy,
  • Protecting our way of life and the natural environment that we all love, and
  • Maintaining a world-class experience for our visitors and residents.

Why Is This a Priority?

There’s no doubt that we’ve reached a critical juncture for our town. Amid a global pandemic, when many destinations across the globe were seeing significant drops in visitation levels, Vail continues to see record-breaking numbers of visitors. This surge in visitation is putting pressure on natural resources and infrastructure, amplifying issues related to workforce and housing, and placing our residents and visitors at odds with one another.

What Is Destination Stewardship?

“Destination stewardship” is a strategic approach to tourism management that focuses on environmental, social and economic sustainability. We know that tourism is an important economic engine for our community. But we also know that tourism in a place as unique as Vail must be done in a way that preserves all that makes our community such a special place to live, work and visit.

How Will It Be Achieved?

The Destination Stewardship Plan will be developed through a community-driven process. Hundreds of regional stakeholders will be actively included in the process through a variety of engagements including interviews, town hall meetings, surveys, and focus groups.

Thanks For Your Involvement

Vail’s Stewardship Roadmap rests on a rich foundation of community engagement. More than 3,000 opinions were shared by locals. These included 2,580 who responded to surveys and nearly 500 who showed up to share their views in person.

  • 1,465 Answered tourism-related questions in the biennial Vail Community Survey.
  • 986 Responded to a Vail resident survey.
  • 132 Took the downvalley resident survey.
  • 12 Focus groups on different tourism-related topics included about 180 locals. One was conducted in Spanish.
  • 8 Public Engagement Sessions drew about 250 attendees. Six were in person at the Donovan Pavilion and two were on Zoom.
  • 30 Or more took part in one-on-one in-depth interviews.
  • 6 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Partners, plus Mayor Kim Langmaid, shared high-level oversight. They included the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Holy Cross Energy, the USDA Forest Service, the Vail Recreation District, Vail Resorts, and Walking Mountain Science Center.
  • 1 Daylong visioning session brought together more than 25 community members to create a planning framework.


The Destination Stewardship Plan will be created in collaboration with:



  • The Partnership Podcast


    Join host Erik Williams, Director of Community Development at Vail Valley Partnership as he sits with Town of Vail Economic Development Manager Mia Vlaar and Founder and CEO of Better Destinations Cathy Ritter to discuss the upcoming Vail Destination Stewardship Plan.

    Over the next nine months, The Town of Vail will be creating a Destination Stewardship Plan, with the goals of:

    • Managing the growth of our tourism economy, protecting our way of life and the natural environment that we all love, and maintaining a world-class experience for our visitors and residents.
    • The Destination Stewardship Plan will be developed through a community-driven process. Hundreds of regional stakeholders will be actively included in the process through a variety of engagements including interviews, town hall meetings, surveys, and focus groups.

  • Vail Selects Consulting Team to Lead Destination Stewardship Plan

    A consultant team representing three leading tourism organizations has been selected to lead the year-long planning process to develop a Destination Stewardship Plan for the community, putting Vail on a path to align its thriving tourism economy with community priorities and enhance its global reputation as a sustainable destination for travelers. A $169,500 contract authorizing the work was unanimously approved by the Vail Town Council at its Feb. 1 meeting. The selection followed a review of proposals submitted during a request for proposals process announced in November 2021.

    Adoption of a Destination Stewardship Plan for Vail will be among the first in the nation and fulfills a requirement of Vail’s ongoing certification as a Sustainable Tourism Destination first attained in 2017 under the Mountain IDEAL standard, a framework recognized by Global Sustainable Tourism Council. The study area incorporates the Gore Creek watershed, including the town boundaries and the Vail Mountain permit area.

    “The destination stewardship planning process will engage our community in creating a vision and plan to guide our tourism initiatives into the future,” said Vail Mayor Kim Langmaid. “Ultimately the stewardship plan will help us optimize guest experiences and protect our unique assets, while minimizing the negative impacts of tourism and unintended consequences that can arise.”

    Better Destinations of Denver and MMGY NextFactor of Vancouver will share overall project leadership of the Destination Stewardship Plan. The Travel Foundation, an international NGO focused on improving impacts of tourism, will support the town in further strengthening its globally recognized sustainable tourism initiatives.

    Better Destinations Founder and CEO Cathy Ritter, who headed the Colorado Tourism Office from 2015 to 2021, will lead the study which will incorporate expertise from the partner agencies. Together the team has delivered insights and strategies for more than 250 destinations across the globe, including a Destination Management Plan for Breckenridge adopted in 2019. Ritter co-led and co-wrote the Colorado Tourism Roadmap which is widely recognized as one of the first destination management plans in the U.S. MMGY NextFactor and Better Destinations currently are working to create one of the first Destination Stewardship Plans in North America for an eight-county region surrounding Glacier National Park.

    "By being among the first to make destination stewardship the focus of a planning process, Vail is signaling a commitment to deciding what kind of destination it wants to be and involving local stakeholders every step of the way," said Ritter. "Our work will center on engaging with the community to identify priorities and create a shared vision for a tourism economy that delivers real benefits for locals and guests, and offsets impacts of visitation in meaningful ways."

    Set to launch immediately, the 11-month planning process will create numerous opportunities for both full- and part-time residents, business stakeholders, nonprofits, governmental bodies, public land managers and others to participate. Consultations will include one-on-one interviews, focus groups and public visioning workshops.

    The goal is to create a 10-year vision and management plan harnessing Vail's tourism economy to deliver a high quality of life for residents along with quality guest experiences. The town is seeking ways to attract visitors who will support and respect the destination, while encouraging more equitable access to all that Vail offers. Another priority is to celebrate the town’s remarkable heritage and the role it has played in Colorado's history of winter sport.

    Community engagement opportunities and project updates will be hosted on EngageVail.com. Watch for announcements soon for project details.

    The town's point person for the project is Mia Vlaar, director of economic development, with support from Kristen Bertuglia, director of environmental sustainability. Also playing key roles in the planning process are the town's six key community partners: U.S. Forest Service, Vail Resorts, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Vail Recreation District, Holy Cross Energy, and Walking Mountains Science Center.

    Currently, the Town of Vail and Vail Resorts share responsibility for managing and marketing the destination. Vail Resorts manages winter season marketing, while the Town's Vail Local Marketing District generates about $4 million annually from a 1.4 percent lodging tax. The Town uses the proceeds to market natural attractions, local businesses, and special events outside of the winter season.

    The planning timeline aims at securing the Town Council's approval of the completed destination stewardship plan by December 31, 2022, allowing Vail to attain full compliance with the Mountain IDEAL standard. Vail was the first global mountain destination to achieve that standard in 2017 and was given five years to complete a destination plan.

    The following year, Green Destinations named Vail among the world's Top 100 Sustainable Destinations. To date, only two other mountain destinations - Breckenridge and Jackson Hole - have attained certification under a Global Sustainable Tourism Council recognized standard such as Mountain IDEAL.

    The Town of Vail is considering a separate community planning initiative for next year to replace the Vision 2020 plan that has guided the destination since 2008. Findings from the destination stewardship plan are intended to support the future community planning process.

    For more information about the planning process, contact Mia Vlaar at mvlaar@vailgov.com or 970-479-2454.


    Better Destinations
    Better Destinations is a consultancy founded on a belief that healthy visitor economies grow from addressing a holistic range of considerations and engaging stakeholders in shaping destination priorities. The consultancy draws upon CEO Cathy Ritter’s decade of experience as state tourism director for both Colorado and Illinois and record of creating insight-led solutions.

    MMGY NextFactor
    MMGY NextFactor is an industry-leading consulting firm specializing in travel and tourism. Its team of experts has delivered insights and strategies to more than 250 destinations across the globe. In 2019, the firm joined forces with MMGY Global, the world’s largest integrated marketing company specializing in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries.

    The Travel Foundation
    The Travel Foundation is a leading global sustainable tourism organisation that works in partnership with governments, businesses, and communities to develop and manage tourism to maximise its benefits for communities and the environment. Founded in 2003, it has since worked in around 30 countries around the world.

Page last updated: 22 Jun 2023, 04:47 PM