Happy New Year! Among the countless qualities that make Park City such a spectacular place to live and grow is our ethos of setting goals and making things better. At the Chamber, that means making 2025 a year of action on the principles of responsible destination management that touch our economy, environment, lifestyle, and future.
Next week, I'll further our message of responsible visitation with national and international high-quality tour operators when I introduce Mountainkind in person at the Go West Summit in Palm Springs. I'll also speak as an expert panelist on shaping environmentally sensitive destinations (like ours). Later this month, we will be at the legislature advocating for Park City's economy and environment while welcoming filmmakers and aficionados to another spectacular Sundance Festival.
Widening the lens, I foresee 2025 as a year of strengthening collaboration with our community partners to foster a united and resilient Park City. Already, such partnerships are producing community wins like our housing partnerships with Deer Valley’s Slopeside Village and Mountainlands Community Housing Trust's WERIP Program.
Our recent Mountain IDEAL certification is more than a prestigious acknowledgment of sustainability progress; it fuels our fire to keep driving green initiatives, such as promoting eco-friendly travel options, visitor education, and refinements to our sustainability metrics. Many of these efforts fold into the Mountainkind messaging, engaging visitors in eco-friendly practices as a natural outgrowth of their Park City experience.
I'm intrigued and excited to develop the Mountainkind brand more fully in 2025. Its endless iterations can draw visitors closer to the heart of how we live in Park City, in everything from transportation to waste reduction to historic preservation. We're limited only by our creativity!
2025 will see us make Mountainkind at work at the street level with our Mobile Visitor Center, and new mobile app, VisitParkCity, sharing tips on how to enjoy Park City responsibly while finding our best food, entertainment, arts experiences and events. A true community product, we had Mobile Visitor Center design help from students with the PCCAPS program at Park City High.
Last year, we expanded the benefits we offer our partners and added educational opportunities with our Business University sessions. In the new year, our Partner Services team will continue hosting workshops, training sessions and the always-packed networking mixers.
Finally, we never forget that all of the above feed into our overarching goals – supporting small businesses, growing visitor spending, and implementing practical sustainability into our lifestyle and message, paying it forward so that future generations enjoy a prosperous, economically balanced, and environmentally protected mountain town where we treasure our interactions with each other and with the natural environment we cherish so deeply.