Tourism & the Visitor Economy: Caring Is an Action

by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County

February is referred to as the month of love, and to love is to care about the people and places that are most important to us. Caring for what we love isn’t just a feeling; it’s an action. It includes all of our cultural, quality-of-life and eco-focused initiatives and the actions we can take to protect and care for the place we love: Door County.

Care for Door County is a call for those who love and live to travel and for those who love to call Door County home. It is a call for those who live for new and unexpected experiences that broaden horizons and provide a deeper connection with their communities and environment. It is a call for those who love to savor local flavors, handcrafted with care and authenticity, and abundant throughout Door County. It is a call for those who love knowledge and whose curiosity drives them to uncover Door County’s hidden gems and historical treasures. 

It is a rallying call for all of us who live and love to connect on a different level – not just as an adventurer but as a fellow steward of Door County’s land, our culture and our community, now and into the future. It is a call for those who love our pristine shorelines, a perfectly groomed trail, our rolling orchards or our amazing sunsets. 

We love to live without being constrained by a single idea of when, where and how to explore, but with an openness to take the road less traveled and preserving that road for others to love and experience.

Part of Caring for Door County is the Door County Pledge:

• I will always respect the water’s vast and unpredictable beauty.

• I will honor the local culture and traditions by exploring with an open heart and mind.

• I will follow the trails and paths, letting only my mind wander.

• I will discover my sense of wonder while finding new and undiscovered places.

• I will embrace nature’s wild spirit, leaving it perfectly unchanged.

• I will do my part to preserve, protect and care for Door County, always.  

Let’s love and care for Door County every month of the year.

As we continue to work on Care for Door County initiatives, we invite you to be a part of our Leave No Trace Spotlight event, scheduled for June 8-10 at Peninsula State Park. The Spotlight program creates opportunities for communities to be the solution to conservation issues. Be part of this on-the-ground action to protect and preserve Peninsula State Park.

We are also very excited about being one of the sponsors of Ridge and Swale, a four-part environmental docuseries from Peninsula Filmworks that celebrates a legacy of conservation and community and the love that it takes to continue to work on preserving and maintaining Door County’s natural beauty and heritage. This will premiere on Earth Day.

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.