Tourism and Prosperity Partnership board gives update after historically bad snow year

The Gunnison Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met with the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership Board (TAPP) for a presentation on TAPP overview, sustainable tourism, economic development, and more.

TAPP is a program under the Gunnison/Crested Butte Tourism Association (GCBTA). It aims to mitigate the challenge of costs outpacing incomes for the working class, specifically through Local Marketing District (LMD) and grant monies. Their mission is to strengthen community prosperity through strategic tourism and diversified economic growth.

Andrew Sandstrom, Executive Director, GCBTA noted that three out of every four dollars entering the county are driven by tourism, second homeowners, and remote workers, and that TAPP focuses on what brings money in and how to keep that money recirculating locally.

“I think an important piece to remember is that every second homeowner came here as a tourist first,” said Sandstrom. “The same goes with remote workers and students. They come here for our amenities, public lands, access to natural capital, and more restaurants per capita than in other small towns. TAPP is focused on keeping that economic engine going.”

He described their work as advancing economic, social, and ecological sustainability by bringing in outside dollars and diversifying, offering higher wages, year-round jobs, and career pathways, and protecting the natural assets that attract visitors through stewardship and partnerships.

Marketing Director Katie Mooney reported that TAPP’S 2026 non-snow campaign focused on their most reliable strengths such as mountain biking, public lands access, and the wildflower festival. Major wins included gravel biking in spring and fishing in fall, which generated unusually strong ad engagement, corresponding to increased LMD collections.

‘This shows that we have identified a shoulder season tourism product that visitors are very interested in, and they're coming here to try out,” said Mooney. “We're achieving that goal of starting to smooth out the boom and bust of the super busy summer, the super busy winter, and helping our lodges and our businesses and our local workers have a little bit smoother of a time in those shoulder seasons.”

TJ Taylor, who leads the ICElab and played a critical role in the launch of The Hub, explained that 2026 was about building the foundation for economic development rather than launching many new programs, and that the goal for 2027 is to put that foundation to work. The Hub was created in response to local companies that had outgrown garages and storage units but couldn’t find or afford a commercial space. The Hub brings founders and business owners together in a physical space to foster peer support and problem-solving. It has allowed TAPP to strengthen partnerships with local chambers, Startup Colorado, and Region 10’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Their reach recently expanded statewide through efforts like Rural is RAD, which brings roughly 50 rural outdoor industry founders into a network that benefits Gunnison County companies and students.

TAPP continues to work with Western Colorado University to link tourism, economic development, and workforce pathways. A major focus in 2026 was on the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) partnership, where TAPP funding has helped build research infrastructure and hands-on opportunities for students.

Western students who have worked with RMBL have worked on projects such as expanding remote weather networks and building a rental-tracking system for research equipment. These efforts have increased RMBL’s research capacity and given students real-world experience.

TAPP looks forward to expanding their partnership with Western by exploring new academic programs such as industrial design, biomedical, and aerospace. These could eventually tie into The Hub and support local industry needs, though they’re not yet mature enough for direct TAPP investment. The clearest near-term opportunity is a marketing collaboration, especially around mountain sports.

“Since we did the Mountain Sports programming a couple years ago, enrollment in that program's up 50%,” said Sandstrom. “So, it's such a natural crossover into our tourism marketing.”

Sandstrom reported that while winter was financially challenging due to a historically bad snow year, with Vail Resorts' Mountain West skier visits down about 25% and Gunnison’s winter LMD collections down roughly 10%, TAPP aggressively turned to non-snow and shoulder-season marketing to help with winter losses. Preliminary July numbers suggest that the county will end the year about 1.5-2% down overall, with total 2026 LMD collections projected around $3.7 million, leaving reserves in relatively good shape.

Based on those numbers, TAPP is requesting a flat LMD allocation of $3.125 million for 2027 efforts, with some shifts internally including modest increases in marketing, a decrease in direct ICElab support as Hub revenue grows, and an increase in Western-related marketing collaborations.

“If we’re successful in diversifying our economic drivers, we can wean our reliance on tourism, stabilize our economy, and grow wages to close that affordability gap,” said Sandstrom.