Tourism & the Visitor Economy: Our Focus Is Our Community’s Core Values

by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County

As we continue to build our strategic plan with the help and support of Destination Door County’s board of directors and the Door County Tourism Zone commissioners, we have collectively created a road map that will guide us through the next few years.

Our first focus is to ensure that we are aligned with all of you throughout the community. We will continue to listen and seek input from you, our residents and stakeholders. This is an integral component of Destination Door County’s efforts. 

Destination promotion is done for the benefit and well-being of everyone throughout our community. We need to be driven by the same core values that our community has and that can help determine priorities and build an approach that leads to a more authentic representation of Door County.

Our goals include cultivating an environment where Door County’s tourism industry can lead by example, championing tourism’s benefits, helping mitigate its impacts and connecting the community to its regenerative capabilities. We want to foster our local spirit, our values, our sense of place and the well-being of Door County for all our residents, employers, employees and visitors alike.

Our second focus is sustainable development. By supporting the progress of a more maintainable and equitable visitor economy, we can prioritize sustainable development that includes environmental, sociocultural and economic resilience.  

It is important to include in our goals that we want to nurture our social, cultural and economic strength for a more sustainable, balanced and equitable visitor economy. And we will advocate for the preservation and protection of our environment and natural resources.

Our third focus is values-based marketing. We know that the overall quality of our visitors’ experience includes what we all value, and how we are striving to achieve our collective goals. 

Door County has so many repeat visitors who want to return because they want to be part of our community, and our local cultural DNA aligns with their identity and priorities. We want to communicate to those people who have the same ideals that we have.

We will be bold, creative and action focused, supporting transparency and measurable outcomes. We will encourage stewardship by elevating Door County and its communities’ authentic characters, creative energies and brands.

Tourism helps to build community, and we need to continue to promote Door County as an essential investment for carrying on developing opportunities and for building a quality of life that benefits all of our residents. As a community collaborator, we want to help balance the Door County visitor economy to ensure our long-term sustainability and vibrancy.

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