JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI) — The Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Joint Powers Board (JHTTB) 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 Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
The survey, which can be accessed at visitjacksonhole.com/locals, 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 priorties 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. 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,” said Crista Valentino, JHTTB board member and chair of the SDMP committee. “Your survey responses will help us make better decisions about how to shape the future of tourism and ensure it is valuable, not harmful, for our community. The more feedback we get from you, the more the final plan will reflect what you care about most.”
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. Leading the entire project and supporting JHTTB’s initiatives, George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies and Confluence Sustainability work as consultants assessing destination needs of Jackson Hole and Teton County before designing a new strategy that reflects shared community visions.
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.
The survey is available in English and Spanish and can be accessed at visitjacksonhole.com/locals along with background information on the SDMP, project updates, and announcements on community events throughout the forthcoming year.