Video Interview John Norton Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association – TAPP

Interview John Norton Crested Butte Tourism – I recently got the opportunity to talk with John Norton – Executive Director of the TAPP – Tourism Association Prosperity Partnership.

John has been in the Crested Butte area for many years and has had numerous leadership roles to help promote and protect the beauty, charm and economic viability of the Gunnison Crested Butte area. John has held leadership positions with CBMR (and instrumental in marketing the sale of CBMR to the Muellers who then sold to Vail Resorts), The Land Trust, Partners, and many more.

John has a tenured background in sales and marketing and has an international consulting business Norton Global. Norton Global’s primary mission is to help their clients grow sales and reduce costs. It is great that we have John focused on helping grow our tourism economy here in the Gunnison Crested Butte area!

Watch the Video Interview John Norton Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association

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Many are not familiar with Tourism Association Prosperity Partnership (formerly The Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association) – who they are, what they do, how they are funded… etc. and so here is some info from the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership Website:

About The Tourism and Prosperity Partnership

The Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (known as the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association from 2002-2019) was born in 2002 by popular vote of the people in Gunnison County. The ballot issue was to create a Local Marketing District for the purpose of marketing the destination as a whole. The vote allowed an increase in the Lodging tax from 1.9% to 4%. Since its founding, TAPP has been responsible for marketing the Gunnison Valley as a year-round vacation destination.

Tourism and Prosperity Partnership Mission

The mission of the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP) is to leverage Local Marketing District and grant monies to grow overnight visitation revenues. TAPP will also diversify and develop our economy in a sustainable manner through leadership on the Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee, support for Western Colorado University, and creation of entrepreneurial opportunities (e.g. ICELab). As such, TAPP will grow prosperity and opportunity for Gunnison Valley residents.

Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association Funding

TAPP’s primary funding source is through an annual contract with the Gunnison County Local Marketing District. TAPP also seeks grants from local and regional funding organizations.

In particular, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte has supported significant marketing and event initiatives undertaken by the Tourism Association since TAPP’s founding. In recent years, Mt. Crested Butte’s partnership has enabled TAPP to launch a mountain bike signage initiative, a map app, and Gunnison-Crested Butte Reservations. Mt. CB has also contributed funds to support air service marketing and mountain biking marketing.

The Town of Crested Butte has also come on board as a partner in the mountain biking signage initiative funding signs built in town.

We received grant funding in support of Houston Air Service from the Colorado Tourism Office in 2017.

Alpine Skiing at Crested Butte Mountain Resort – Vail Rebranding

This is the crown jewel of our Winter tourism economy and the Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association has been instrumental in helping to promote our expert skiing terrain to the avid skier population on the Front Range. In addition the inclusion of Crested Butte in the Epic Pass has paid-off by attracting so many front-range skiers that have learned that they can get to Crested Butte quicker than the slog on I-70 and when they arrive they have great terrain, and little to no lift lines resulting in 3X the skiing! …and they appreciate that they are not in a crowded ski resort but in Crested Butte — the cool, hip and charming.

Vail is promoting Crested Butte as “UNLEASH YOUR WILD SIDE” and “THE END OF THE ROAD – Defy the voice that says you can’t and journey to the end of the road, to find something that can’t be found elsewhere” and “DITCH THE LESS DARING – Break free from ordinary and dive into untouched powder, towering peaks, heart pounding terrain and a vibrant town with a mountain culture all its own”.

Nordic Skiing in Crested Butte

There are over 50K of groomed Nordic trails in the Crested Butte area – wow! The Crested Butte Nordic Center does a great job and in addition to the stewardship over the trails, the Magic Meadows Yurt, they also provide lessons, equipment rentals, youth athletics, and are host to numerous races including the famed Crested Butte Alley Loop, and the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse.

Mountain Biking and Crested Butte Winter Fat Bike

The Gunnison Tourism Association Prosperity Partnership has recognized that we have a unique asset and there is a destination tourism business around all things biking. Specifically in our area the wealth of mountain bike trails in the summer and fall that dwarf other areas who claim to be mountain biking meccas (Moab, Fuita to name a couple). Now we are seeing the mountain bike enthusiasts continue their riding throughout the winter months by getting on their FAT BIKES and

If you have not yet taken a spin on a Fat Bike on the snow then you are missing out. The good news is that at the end of January the world of Fat Biking will descend on Crested Butte for the Fat Bike World Championships!

Fat Bike World Championship

Borealis Fat Bike World Championships presented by Upslope Brewing Co. January 25-29, 2017 – Crested Butte, Colorado.

Fat Bike World Championships in Crested Butte

In 2016 Crested Butte was host to the First Ever Annual Fat Bike World Championships thanks to the hard work by Dave Ochs and many including the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce. This race brings in people from all over the world to ride and compete and have fun. There are many sponsors, bike and component manufacturers who make it a great event. Crested Butte and the Fat Bike World Championship Race is also featured in the Warren Miller Film: “Here There and Everywhere” – at the end of the Crested Butte segment they show one of the competitors GETTING A BRAND ON HIS ASS! (see photo by Devon Balet)

CBGTrails APP – Awesome!

Go to the App Store or CBGTrails.com to get the app so you can get access to all the trails in the Crested Butte area and Gunnison Valley.

People often ask me “what makes Crested Butte special?” It is hard to put into words, but the I think you would agree that the Tourism Association Prosperity Partnership is doing a great job of promoting it. In addition to the beauty of the Gunnison Valley, the strong Arts Culture, the festivals and events, all the great warm community of people, and the endless recreational opportunities we are able to provide visitors with supercool experiences in the Winter and Sumer.

Crested Butte Real Estate

No matter where your home is in Crested Butte you are less than a few minutes to alpine skiing, nordic skiing, a fat bike trail, a hiking and mountain bike trail, or flowing river with rising trout! There are plenty of luxury homes and high-end ski-in / ski-out condos at the base area, but unlike some of the other ski resort towns in Colorado that have their glitsy roots in gold and silver mining – Crested Butte was as a coal mining town.

In many ways the character and attitude of the early ranchers and miners has transcended time. In Crested Butte the skiing is great, the scenery is awesome, the recreational activities in the Gunnison Valley are endless, and the people are warm, friendly and real. Come to Crested Butte, ski, hike, drive a car on the ice, ride a fat bike…, then go find a restaurant, bar or shop in town. Sit for a while, relax and enjoy striking up a conversation with a new friend – it could be the beginning our your journey of adventure.

If you have an interest in Crested Butte Real Estate and would like to start a conversation about Crested Butte homes for sale, condos or land in the Crested Butte area, call me.

Thanks!