Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tonya Ewers, 303.315.6374, pager 303.266.0941, Tonya.Ewers@uchsc.edu
University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning Students Uncover What “Drives” Visits to the State’s Scenic Byways
More than half of those surveyed indicated the byway was their destination
DENVER (April 9, 2008) – Students from the University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning spent much of the last year working with UC Denver’s Colorado Center for Community Development (CCCD) to help rural communities across the state to uncover the who, what, when, where and why of tourism and travel on the nine National Scenic Byways in Colorado. The students spent the summer of 2007 interviewing travelers at 50 survey locations including rest stops and pull-outs throughout the state along the scenic roadways. Their findings collected from more than 2,500 survey responses will be presented at the Colorado Scenic Byways Conference and will help local communities to better understand market niches and sharpen marketing programs directed at their target audiences.
In 2007, UC Denver’s CCCD received a grant funded by the Colorado Department of Transportation to interview travelers along the nine scenic byways located throughout Colorado to answer the following questions: Who is traveling on the National Scenic Byways in Colorado? Where are they coming from? What are their key destinations within the state? What are the demographics of the travelers?
The key findings of the study indicated most travelers (35 percent) originated in Colorado with a median trip distance of 1,200 miles over a duration of seven days. Approximately 62 percent of all visitors surveyed reported they were either visiting the area of the byway for the first time or were returning after only a few previous visits, while 57 percent indicated their destination was actually located along a scenic byway.
The other top states of origin included Texas (11 percent), Arizona (5 percent) and California (5 percent).
“This survey and its research findings represent the beginning of an ongoing process,” said Jeff Sudmeier, one of the UC Denver architecture and planning students involved in the study. “Small, local towns along these roadways often don’t have the resources to research economic development and can use these findings to market their area byway and to understand where visitors are originating.”
Jon Schler, director of the Colorado Center for Community Development at UC Denver, and Tom Clark, professor and chair of the College’s Planning and Design Department, led the study and assisted the architecture and planning students in interviewing 2,500 tourists and business travelers throughout Colorado over the months of June, July and August in 2007.
“With the establishment of this baseline data, we will now be able to assess new targeted marketing efforts in these local communities and if those efforts are hitting their intended audiences,” said Schler.
The series of recently completed surveys and analyses will be presented on Friday, April 11, at the Colorado Scenic Byway Conference, held at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel, 360 Union Boulevard, Lakewood, Colo.
CCCD students assist under-funded communities, often in rural areas, by providing preliminary design ideas and alternatives and facilitating community meetings with local community leaders. Students help in the decision-making process on how to fund new buildings and renovate open spaces; they also assist community leaders in grant research. CCCD has been providing community outreach services for more than 30 years; the Rural Assistance Program serves small communities with limited planning staff and with a population of 8,000 or less.
The College of Architecture and Planning is among the largest colleges of architecture and related design and planning disciplines in the U.S. Located on the University of Colorado Denver’s downtown campus and the University of Colorado-Boulder, CAP brings together faculty, students and practitioners who share common pursuits in communities of interest including: emerging practices in design, sustainable urbanism, the creation of healthy environments and the preservation of cultural heritage. CAP is one of 13 schools and colleges at UC Denver. The University offers more than 100 degrees and serves more than 28,000 students in Metro Denver and online. For additional news and information, please visit the UC Denver newsroom.