The Visitor Economy: Working Together for the Common Good

by JULIE GILBERT, President/CEO, Destination Door County

I was really moved by an article in the Peninsula Pulse a few weeks ago that spoke about the Egg Harbor community coming together to rescue a young male bald eagle. Mr. Hults from Open Door Bird Sanctuary said that “keeping the public informed and engaged is what makes a success story like this possible.” 

He’s right. Working together for common goals and supporting initiatives that improve our local quality of life are the ways to create success. 

As Door County’s destination marketing and management organization, we want to help create many more success stories throughout the county. Engagement, collaboration, communication, transparency and stewardship are a big part of Destination Door County’s core values as we continue our journey to become a more inclusive, community-shared values organization.

We will be listening more to all of you throughout the community as our visitors will be looking to you, our residents, to talk about Door County like no one else can – with the passion you have for this beautiful and unique place. We will be advocating for the best interests and well-being of our community. 

Destination Door County’s Our Care for Door County program highlights that caring for what we love isn’t just a feeling; it’s an action or series of actions that benefits each of us individually and collectively. All of us who live here love this place, and we know that by being better collaborators, we create a much broader coalition and understand those collective goals. Keeping you better informed, along with really nurturing those partnership relationships and ensuring our accountability, are all part of that. 

As we continue to build toward a common future, we see the need for development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the sustainability of future generations. We need to make sure that we do have an integrated approach that focuses on environmental conservation, economic opportunity and providing societal equity for all of our residents.

I appreciate all of you who have demonstrated how much you care about Door County by joining our volunteer efforts, and by reaching out to share your thoughts and insights with me. We may not be able to solve every challenge right away, but we can certainly work toward it together for the common good. We may all be on different journeys, but we are all headed toward the same place. 

As a reminder, partnership with Destination Door County is open to all businesses throughout the peninsula. There is no charge to become a partner. We are proud to promote a vibrant business community, a healthy local economy and a renewed sense of place for all of us who call Door County home.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions to help us continue growing in a positive direction.