The local tourism industry could be facing a tougher road next year after a strong 2015 season.
Through September, the city has seen a 6 percent increase in sales tax collections and a 6.5 percent increase in lodgers taxes compared with the same period last year.
“There’s a lot to feel good about,” said Bob Kunkel, executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office.
But the tourism atmosphere could be changing, he told a gathering of tourism professionals Friday at the Durango Public Library.
“We expect more headwind in 2016,” Kunkel said.
Negative press from the Gold King Mine spill, uncertainty around gas prices, a reduced marketing budget and a changing perception of downtown because of panhandling are all challenges for Durango, he said.
If all the negative articles about the mine spill had been paid for through ads, about $4 million would have been spent, said Ann Klein, public relations consultant for DATO. This is an estimate based on the industry standards used in public relations.
All this press had the potential to reach 33 million people based on the circulation of the publications, she said.
To help combat the negative press, DATO has been trying to distribute pictures of the clear Animas River. A moose standing in the middle of the river last September near downtown Durango boosted those efforts.
“The hero of this for me has been the moose,” Klein said.
DATO is also working to set up a live feed of the river so people can see it for themselves, she said.
DATO staff members also outlined some of their plans for marketing in the new year.
While the DATO budget will be down, Kunkel expects it to be focused on key geographic areas so it can be effective.
In 2016, DATO expects to have a total budget of $984,100, slightly below the $1.1 million the office had in 2015.
As a result of the Gold King Mine spill, DATO is applying for about $345,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency. If this money is received, it will help fund marketing efforts, Kunkel said.
In the new year, the office hopes to expand advertising efforts into Southern California and Midwestern states, where the office staff members see strong potential.
Most of the office’s requests for a travel planning literature are coming from Texas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri and Arizona.
To attract international travelers, the office will continue advertising in Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom because they don’t have funding to expand into new markets.
“When you’ve got less, you pull it closer to home,” Kunkel said.
Aside from marketing, there are many factors that affect the tourism industry that can’t be controlled including gas prices.
If the price of driving to Durango stays low, it could be a boon for the industry.
