Worth the trip

Worth the trip
Remoteness, rising gas prices need not deter visitors from Mesa Verde Country

May 8, 2001

The Memorial Day hike in gasoline prices is an annual tradition, and this year will be no exception.

By most accounts, gas prices are headed for a record high. According to AAA — the American Automobile Association, which keeps track of such things — the average price for regular unleaded gas in Colorado last week was $1.686, only a penny below the record set last June. Prices went up over the weekend, so we can expect AAA to announce a new record this week.

What does that mean for an area dependent on tourism revenue concentrated in a few short months of summer?

Tourism is a complex business, so the answers are not likely to be simple. Common sense suggests, though, that we ought to be marketing our attractions to people for whom travel costs are not a major consideration: those who live nearby, those who can afford gas no matter how much the price rises, and those who want to see the archaeological attractions of the Southwest so badly that gas prices will not deter them.

Southwestern Colorado is not an extremely expensive place to visit. Hotel rooms here are less expensive than in many places. Dining options are varied and affordable. Most important, though, is the concentration of attractions that means once visitors are here, they can find plenty to occupy their attention for a long stay. Potential visitors need to know that when they’re making their vacation plans. The cost of getting here begins to look less onerous when spread over a week.

There’s more to this area than Mesa Verde National Park and the Durango-Silverton train. There are so many archaeological resources that most locals have not seen them all. There’s another narrow-gauge railroad in the area. The mountain and desert landscapes provide diverse opportunities for outdoor recreation. Arts and culture abound. This area has more than enough attractions for a week-long visit; it has enough for a lifetime.

Besides the destination tourists, however, this summer we must snare those who are driving through on their way to somewhere else. The Four Corners region is often considered the middle of nowhere, which means that many motorists must drive through it on the way to a place they consider to be "somewhere." Highway 160 is a major east-west thoroughfare; how can we induce drivers to spend a day here rather than going on?

In addition, we ought to be able to lure travelers to change their plans slightly. Mesa Verde is worth a side trip from I-40 or I-70. ‘You’re already so close,’ we can say. ‘Why not come on over?’

Mesa Verde Country is worth the trip. We need to promote it as such. There’s no sense in bemoaning gas prices, which aren’t going to go down any time soon. Instead, we need to acknowledge them and use value as a selling point.