Greetings and welcome to the tenth edition of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's (TA's), E-newsletter. Please let us know if the E-newsletter did not view properly on your computer. Our goal is to bring you news about the TA and other useful information every other month.  Your feedback is invited and welcomed! Read on! If you wish to "unsubscribe" use the link at the bottom.

Winter is upon us! We just need a great deal more of the white stuff! The TA has been ramping up winter marketing efforts since late summer and it's coming on strong now. With the addition of winter flights from Chicago, Salt Lake City and Atlanta to complement our non-stop flights from Denver and Dallas/Ft. Worth, the TA has expanded marketing efforts. Our approach is a multi-pronged one that includes radio, Internet, geo-targeted email communications that go specifically to individuals in key markets, print and public relations. Following are some highlights of the TA's efforts over the past two months. As always, let us know your suggestions and ideas!  Email Jane.

You can still view it online at www.GCBTA.com along with other useful information!

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• Skiing magazine: Recognized Crested Butte for Best Steeps (#1), Best Trees (#8), Best Powder (#10), Best Feedlot (Slogar tied for #1), and honorable mentions for Best All-Inclusive Package (Stay & Ski Free), Best Slopeside Tuning Shop (Colorado Freeskier), Best Resort Transportation (free Mountain Express)
• SKI magazine ranked CBMR as #20 best ski resort and featured the Coburn family
• Being a Cowboy in G-CB Valley -6-page feature in Germany's Focus magazine
• News about CNL Lifestyle Properties adding CBMR and other Triple Peaks LLC ski areas to portfolio is getting media attention (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc.)

• Newspapers - USA Today, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, Tampa Tribune, Boston Globe, Colorado Springs Business Journal, San Antonio Express-News, Austin Statesmen, Miami Herald, Houston Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Denver Post, German newspaper articles about German media visiting Colorado on Harleys (stopped in Gunnison), The Independent (UK)
• Magazines & Catalogs - RV Journal, Sky (Delta), AAA Colorado's EnCompass, AAA Living (Nebraska), Cloudveil Winter 2008 catalog (photo of CB)
• Television - A holiday events press release by Colorado Tourism Office included CB Nordic Center’s "Dessert at the Yurt" Moonlight Tours picked up by 11 newspapers and TV stations
• Web - OntheSnow.com e-newsletter, Colorado Tourism Office e-newsletter, budgettravel.com, Budget Travel e-newsletter, dunhillvacations.com, stuff.co.nz (New Zealand), tripatlas.com, travelvideo.tv, frommers.com, RockyMountainSports.com, transworldbusiness.com, coloradowinterinfo.com

• Director Jane Chaney, Marketing Coordinator/Web Master Rob Strickland and PR Director Beth Buehler attended the Governor's Conference on Tourism in late October
• Beth attended a travel writers' reception in Denver hosted by the Colorado Tourism Office
• Summer & Fall 2009 Press Releases - Contact Beth at 349-1168 or  bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net with your information about summer/fall happenings, packages, etc. of interest to tourists.  Remember to load dates and information on www.gcbcalendar.com as well!

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Internet advertising is one of the most measurable advertising sources in the Tourism Association's media mix. We carefully monitor all Internet-related advertising. In addition to the analysis below, staff has reached out to the Colorado Tourism Office and others to obtain industry standards to compare to our results. As indicated in the information below, the TA out ranks industry standards.

* Online ads on various web sites are measured on a click-through rate (CTR);
^ e-communications (electronic newsletters) are measured by open rates;
° Search Engine paid "keyword" advertising (PPC) is also measured by CTR.

Yes FREE... Every tourism business is eligible for a FREE business listing on Colorado.com! All you need to do is visit ColoradoTourismPartners.com, register and submit your listing for approval. All businesses (events too!) are encouraged to follow the business rules, which we have made available for you to read on in PDF. Download the rules now.

NEW calendar functionality is available so that you can load different versions of the Community Calendar on your web site! Here's a short list of sites that are incorporating the new functionality if you want to see what it looks like.

• GunnisonCrestedButte.com
• SeptemberSplendor.com
• MyGunnisonValley.com

Just let us know if we can help you and someone from the committee will gladly meet with you. Call Rob at 641-7992.

NOW is the time to load your winter and spring events. If your event is not loaded, do it today ... it's easy! Visitors are coming to the site looking for winter information already and locals are looking to plan their events, so be sure to get your event loaded as soon as you have the date(s).

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• Print: Frontier Airlines and United Express In-flight magazines, Chicago Magazine, Atlanta Magazine, LA Magazine, Texas Monthly, Oklahoma Magazine, Austin Monthly, Kansas City Magazine, Midwest AAA Travel, Colorado Expressions, Group Tour Magazine, Colorado Meetings + Events, Rocky Mountain Sports, High Country Anglers, American Cowboy, True West, Colorado Springs Gazette.
• Web sites: ColoradoInfo.com, TravelInformation.com, Go-Colorado.com, 24-7Vacations.com; DiscoverColorado.com; TexasMonthly.com; AmericanCowboy.com; GroupTour.com; AAA.com; OnTheSnow.com and more.
• Electronic: Monthly total reach exceeds 1,729,000 opt-in email recipients! InstaCom.com (90,000 travel agents), OnTheSnow.com (450,000 consumers), Colorado.com (650,000), DiscoverColorado.com (66,000), KansasCity.com (15,000), TravelAgentPromos.com (93,000 travel agents), Dunhill Vacations (365,500), and several more.
• Radio: 2 stations in Dallas; one station in Austin, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago
• Other: 60-second winter video on all Frontier Airlines flights; 4' x 5' foot scrolling winter ad located in the Montrose Airport; two back-lit 2' x 3' ad boxes in the Denver 16th Street. Mall Visitor Center run year-round and NEW for this winter…Time Warner Cable TV advertising in Dallas and Austin on Travel Channel, History Channel and Discovery Channel!

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• 2007 - $1,080,652 or 6% increase
• 2006 - $1,023,758 or 15% increase
• 2005 - $889,365 or 11% increase
• 2004 - $800,727

* figures are calculated based on a modified basis of accounting and are year-over-year comparisons.

• 73% say they plan to visit a national park next year (up from 62% last year)
• 32% say they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel plans
• 87% say they will visit at least one historic site in their travels  
• 61% say the cost of fuel is an important consideration when choosing their destination
• 37% say they will vacation at a rental property next year

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Weekends    Rocky Mountain Holidays, Yuletide Events in Crested Butte
5 - 23        Laura Cooper Elm's Cafe featuring 2-D & 3-D work by multiple artists, Gunnison Arts Center
9         Chicago City Limits "Revenge of the Reindeer" Presented by Crested Butte Center for the Arts
9        Western State College Symphony Band & Orchestra Concert, Taylor Auditorium, Gunnison
11        Western State College Concert Choir & Chamber Singers Concert, Taylor Auditorium, Gunnison
12        Full Moon "Dessert at the Yurt" Nordic Ski & Snowshoe Tours, Crested Butte Nordic Center
12        Moonlight Snowshoe Tours, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
13        Citizens Nordic Ski Race, 10K Skate, Crested Butte Nordic Center
13        K2's Ultimate Groove with Heather Paul (Telemark Skiing Clinic), Crested Butte Mountain Resort
13         "The Nutcracker" with David Taylor Dance Co. presented by Gunnison Arts Center, WSC
19-23, 26-28, 30 & Jan. 1 - 3    "Christmas Belles" Presented by Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, Mallardi Cabaret
19 - 20        Rock on Ice, Mt. Crested Butte Town Center
20        Citizens Nordic Ski Race, 15K Skiathlon, Crested Butte Nordic Center
20 - 21        DC Southwest Series (USASA Sanctioned), Crested Butte Mountain Resort
29 - Jan. 2    Christmas Competition Camp, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
31        Frozen Buns Fun Run Presented by Gunnison Valley Hospital, Crested Butte
31        New Year's Eve Celebration & Fireworks, Crested Butte Mountain Resort