| 4/11/2008 9:21:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | County tourism effort extends to New York City
by Christopher Kolomitz
Mail Managing Editor
Madison Square Park in New York City will be transformed into Colorado today and Chaffee County whitewater rafting will play a key role in the promotion.
The event will be sponsored by the Colorado Tourism Office and will highlight travel opportunities in the state.
Lee Hart, marketing director for Chaffee County Visitor's Bureau, is attending.
"For us it's a great opportunity to get our name out there with the Colorado brand," Hart said. "And our whitewater message is the highlight of this promotion."
In 2006, the Colorado Legislature increased the tourism office budget from about $5.6 million to $19 million for fiscal years 2007 and 2008.
To help get the message to potential county visitors, a special whitewater simulator will be constructed.
Hart explained the virtual reality simulator has a suspended kayak in which people may sit. They will wear special mitts that act as paddles and wear goggles displaying a river scene.
"It really should feel like they are hitting rocks and going over waterfalls," Hart said.
As a component of the marketing effort, Olympian and world champion kayaker Eric Jackson and his daughter, Emily, will be featured Saturday on the NBC Today Show Weekend Edition in the 8:30-9 a.m. time slot.
The Jacksons will represent Chaffee County during the segment.
In addition to interactive activities in the park, the tourism office and its partners will host a media luncheon for more than 60 members of the travel, lifestyle, food/wine, sports and travel trade media to explain what's new and exciting throughout Colorado.
More entities and events in the park promotion will be a rock-climb on a challenging rock wall from REI and downhill skiing on a state-of-the-art ski simulator courtesy of Colorado Ski Country USA.
Colorado wildlife will be showcased by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Breckenridge mountain bike stunt team, a lasso and "sing-a-long" with a dude ranch cowboy and street performers from Boulder's Pearl Street Mall will be part of the promotion.
The state tourism office opened a special Let's Talk Colorado store at 42nd and Madison promoting the state. More than 1,000 county visitor's guides have been shipped to the store, Hart said.
Colorado Tourism Office promotes Colorado as a year-round tourism and travel destination and is governed by a 15-member board of directors including four legislators and 11 members appointed by the governor,
The group oversees operations at nine welcome centers and produces the official state vacation guide and state map, and the official Colorado tourism Web site, www.COLORADO.com.
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