It’s summer, and we have just passed the 4th of July, so let’s talk tourism.

There are a wide variety of opinions on the topic of what factors impact tourism behavior and numbers. What levers do we change or adjust to keep our tourist trade healthy? As the Town Board considers all of its various business, we must weigh how our decision impacts our tourism industry.

This was the topic when Jamie Palmesano (of Brownfield’s store fame) spoke at our June 24 Town Board meeting. (You can read her talk in the July 5, 2025, Estes Valley Voice.) Jamie’s talk was a shining example of how public discourse should be approached. Her gentle and insightful presentation was powerful and helpful.

Ms. Palmesano spoke of the myriad factors that impact tourism numbers and behavior. She mentioned RMNP reservations, paid parking, the Loop, “outrageous lodging prices,” the economy, politics, Visit Estes Park, even “complaining locals,” There’s probably others, like competition from other destinations, post-COVID societal changes and cost increases, and more.

Her point was that it’s the sum of many factors that are affecting visitation patterns and tourist behavior. She then asked the Town Board members to use our positions to ensure that visitation remains stable and healthy.

Indeed, we should..

Jamie ended her talk with a quote from Trustee Mark Igel that stated that the decisions we make today can fundamentally change the nature and character of Estes. I agree. You’ve heard me mention the Iroquois philosophy of the “seventh generation”: What impact do our actions have on our descendants seven generations from now?

I met with Jamie to explore her statements. We certainly agree that tourism is essential to the success of Estes. Since the first settlers realized that tourism was an effective way to earn a living up here, Estes has found ways to house, entertain, and feed our visitors, and has offered goods and services to sell to those guests.We all benefit in some way from tourism. Even those of us not involved in the tourist trade rely on the Town services that are fed by the influx of tourism dollars.

Jamie’s key concern is that we have “overwhelmingly fewer repeat visitors.” Obviously, the world changes and generational cycles move forward, but are our policies and programs causing those visitors to now stay home or go elsewhere?

She believes that there are noticeably less people in town. (I’ll be eager to see the June and July economic dashboard reports when they come out; May shows Park numbers up.). Jamie also contends that the atmosphere, vibe, energy, pulse, of the town has changed. Vibe and pulse are certainly subjective considerations. I’ve always felt, and still feel, a palpable vibrancy and strong pulse in Estes, in the shops, the arts, the dialogue. But I’m just one person.

I do believe that the pulse of America has changed in recent decades, and not all for the good, with lots of bad behavior in the public and online eye. (I will continue to advocate for all of us to avoid joining in that negative culture.) Jamie said that they hear from countless people that Estes is less welcoming and friendly. That should concern all of us. Certainly, a welcoming and friendly attitude is the single most powerful tool we have.

Wouldn’t it be nice if “happy attitudes” solved all challenges? I’d love that, but we live in the real world. A cheery smile won’t address all of work on infrastructure, budgets, staff, policies, though it doesn’t hurt to maintain that cheery smile.

So, which of the many factors are having what type of impact on visitation and guest behavior? Which dials do we turn to improve our tourism flow?

Well, we got the Loop done.

Timed entry definitely impacts tourist patterns, but is not in our direct control.

Should Visit Estes Park’s primary mission be the winter season? Of course not. As Hippocrates said, first, do no harm. I.e., first, keep the summer “golden goose” season strong and try to make the “summer shoulder months” even better (May, June, September, October).

Jamie raised concerns about destination stewardship. She encouraged collaborative, adaptive, people-focused stewardship and sustainability, as opposed to having those goals be elitist, exclusionary, and inflexible. She’s on target there. In my simplest view, much of stewardship is common sense. I think of the old anti-littering ads, with the Native American chief with a tear in his eye as he watched the litter blow by. Smokey the Bear reminds us of the proper use of fire. There are many elements of stewardship: don’t waste water; don’t throw trash all about; don’t step on the flowers; don’t use the river as a toilet; etc. Stewardship is awareness. There’s a lot more to resource preservation and kindness to the environment, but it doesn’t have to be onerous. It should be woven into our consciousness by parents, teachers, peers, and all. Treat the planet with the golden rule like you should treat other people.

Thanks to Jamie for her thoughts, and to all of you who share your thoughts and opinions in civil fashion. In her letter, she invited me to a hypothetical dinner. While she created challenges and hurdles to that invitation that were analogous to the Estes challenges facing tourists, I do believe that we would have had great conversation at the table when I finally got there.