Objective 5 | Promote Equity in the Visitor Economy

PCCVB has undertaken an organizational Strategic Plan to review and refine its current mission and work efforts to ensure it can properly serve the needs of all Summit County communities. In particular, PCCVB will increase outreach to better understand workforce needs and communication.

Project Progress

In 2023, the Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau updated its mission to reflect a broader role in the community. Stewardship, workforce stability, and community-centered outcomes moved to the center of the work, aligning with Summit County's vision for a more equitable and resilient economy. 

PCCVB will advocate for existing tourism grant programs and their associated rules and guidelines to support equitable distribution of grant funds. Additionally, PCCVB and community partners may consider creating programs to educate local businesses to ensure they have access to the most up-to-date grant resources and developing new programs to better serve under-represented populations.

Project Progress

Expanding access to opportunity is a community-wide effort. The Sustainable Tourism Grant program includes equity as an evaluation criteria, prioritizing projects that open doors for underrepresented groups and reduce barriers within the visitor economy. The Park City Community Foundation adds another layer of support through grant programs including the Community Fund, Women's Giving Fund, and Youth United, which focuses on expanding opportunity for Latinx and underserved youth across Summit County. The Community Foundation also serves as the community's social equity convener, facilitating annual Equity Advancement Cohorts that help local organizations put equity into practice. 

The local tourism industry is heavily reliant on a seasonal workforce—people who work in ski resorts in the winter and others who work with biking, camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities in the summer. This workforce is critical to the ongoing success and vitality of the travel industry, but is often not compensated in ways that engender an ability to stay in the community long-term. To offset these burdens, local partners will advocate for and create workforce programs that support housing, insurance, childcare, and other needs.

Project Progress

Year-round workforce support extends beyond housing to employer focused initiatives. The Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau promotes participation in the Best Place for Working Parents program, which recognizes businesses that provide family-friendly policies such as flexible scheduling and childcare support. 

PCCVB also convenes small business workshops and employer roundtables that address access to health insurance options, benefits education, and resource navigation for hospitality and service sector employers. These efforts strengthen retention and improve job quality within the visitor economy, particularly for entry-level workers. 

Many who work in Park City / Summit County cannot afford to live in the community, and therefore commute from more affordable areas. While many drive, some may be dependent on transit, and others would choose to take transit if it were convenient. Through this effort, the existing transit systems will be examined with workforce in mind, considering origins, destinations, frequencies, connections between services, and partnerships with private transit (to resorts, for example). This effort will promote recommendations to expand and optimize transit to meet workforce transportation needs.

Project Progress

High Valley Transit has been connecting workforce housing areas to employment centers in Kimball Junction and Old Town since 2021. Ongoing coordination with Park City Transit helps align routes with real commute patterns. Work is also underway with regional planning partners to build more robust transportation data, so future decisions are grounded in a clearer picture of how people move through the region. 

The Park City / Summit County region will identify and/ or develop educational materials to help businesses  and community members be able to spot exploitation, discrimination, and harassment if they happen, and to understand what they can do to report it.

Project Progress

Everyone who lives, works, or plays in Park City deserves to feel respected and safe. We’re still working to develop a formal Code of Conduct aligned with Mountainkind values and responsible tourism standards.