visit durango staff

Welcome to Durango! We hope you enjoy your visit. Historic Downtown and the North Main District offer vibrant businesses, arts and culture experiences, and unique events year-round. Both areas feature boutiques, galleries, specialty shops, and more. Plus an array of amazing restaurants up and down Main Avenue with an abundance of choices for every palate. Visit our Shop/Dine/Stay tab for a full list of offerings. Here you will find a quick resource with information about Durango. Enjoy your visit!

A "real town", mountain community, with an elevation of 6512', Durango was founded in 1880 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.

A great place to be, all year long. We gathered all the good stuff from each season and put it in convenient lists.

Durango hosts many events throughout the year. Check out our calendar, annual events, and more.

You may have questions about Durango - and we definitely have answers!

Both visitors and locals alike can find the information they need on just about everything to do in and around town at our Welcome Center.

With a four-season climate and moderate temperatures year-round, Durango is a pleasure to visit at any time of the year.

Our ambassadors offer information and resources to visitors during the summer months.

Find what you need in Durango with our directory maps.

Where to park when visiting Downtown Durango.

Downtown Durango and North Main Avenue are the heart for the Durango area's shopping, dining and activities.

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Lodgers' Tax

Visit Durango is primarily funded by lodging taxes. Approximately 60% of funding comes from the City of Durango Lodgers’ Tax, 30% of funding comes from La Plata County’s lodging tax and the remaining 10% is from partner services fees. 

What is Lodgers’ Tax?

The City of Durango and La Plata County lodging taxes are the tax locals don’t pay. Guests at hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts and vacation rentals pay this tax. The tax was 2% for 41 years until it was increased to 5.25% in 2021.

Revenue is allocated to a few different services: 

Arts and Cultural Events (example: the Creative District)

Transportation and Transit (example: free bus rides)

Sustainable Tourism Marketing (example: Visit Durango)

What does Visit Durango do with the Lodgers' Tax?

Visit Durango aims to grow the positive impacts of visitation and decrease the negative impacts felt both by residents and visitors. We want everyone to feel welcome, local businesses to flourish, and for visitors and locals to thrive.

How? By promoting sustainable, off-peak-season tourism, providing educational tools for visitors and community members, and supporting businesses. 

In 2023, Visit Durango received $1.9 million in funding from the City of Durango Lodgers' Tax and $924,000 from the La Plata County Lodgers' Tax. Here are a few ways those funds were used to sustain our visitor economy and benefit the community.

Local Community 

$135,000 of funds were allocated to local businesses to lessen environmental impacts and promote social sustainability. The Good Food Collective, Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts, Southwest Homeshare and In The Weeds were just some of the 2023 grant recipients. Their projects include environmental property upgrades, creative housing solutions, hospitality worker support and inclusion training.

97 local events received a total of $265,000 in grant funding thanks to the Lodgers' Tax. Each event proved environmental and social efforts to ensure that our town’s beloved events continue to evolve to meet needs.

Marketing 

As a sustainable marketing organization, all our media content revolves around the concept of regenerative tourism. This includes the "Care for Durango" marketing campaign, which highlights responsible recreation, stewardship, dispersion, and environmental preservation. In 2023, we invested $28,850 toward these advertisements, and downtown banners aimed at promoting the cause.

Rather than hiring a national organization to oversee Durango’s marketing, the City of Durango continues to keep it local and contract with Visit Durango. Therefore employing 17 local staff who are committed community members. They currently hold volunteer positions at: Adaptive Sports Association, Sustainability Association of Southwest Colorado,  Bayfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Durango Creative District, Young Professionals of Durango, among others.

Resident Survey 

We invested time and resources into our annual Resident Sentiment Survey . This survey provides us key insights into the reception of visitorship, feedback on our initiatives and serves as a guide to developing future plans. This is an example of the marketing we do:  https://youtu.be/xIdwTXDBkkA

Visit Durango strives to encourage visitation with minimal impact on the local environment and culture, while contributing to future employment for Durango and La Plata County residents. Our 2024-2029 strategic brief is linked here .

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New roles & goals: how Visit Durango is boosting its sustainability efforts

Destinations and destination marketing organizations (DMOs) evolve — that’s a given. Just how they evolve is unique to each. Still, if the results from our March 2022 Future of Tourism survey are any indication, a growing number of DMOs will be factoring sustainability into their destination-management equation. 

For Visit Durango , sustainability refers to what’s known as “the 3 Ps” — planet (environmental sustainability), people (local culture & heritage), and profit (economy). At a time when only about 30% of DMOs have a dedicated in-house resource, Visit Durango created a sustainability & policy position this past year.

We interviewed Rachel Brown, executive director at Visit Durango , about how and why the position was created. We also interviewed Weylin Ryan, who was hired for the position.

 rachel, tell us when you realized the need for a sustainability position at visit durango..

With stewardship, advocacy, and community engagement becoming increasingly important, we evolved, and now "sustainability" is its own department and accounts for one-third of our budget. We knew that we would need a dedicated full-time staff person to lead this charge and began searching for a sustainability & policy manager in July 2021.

 Rachel, when hiring for this position, what were you looking for? How did you go about finding the right person?

We focused our search on someone who understood and was ready to lead the charge in all three pillars of sustainability. We also knew we needed someone who could work on policy and advocacy issues because this role would ultimately have the greatest impact on sustainability if they were able to be involved at the policy level of decision-making. 

It is also helpful for this position to have historical and legacy information about how the tourism industry and sustainability have evolved in the Durango area over the years. For that reason and others, we were very lucky to find Weylin Ryan, a born-and-raised local resident, for the role.

 Weylin, what have been your priorities for your first year in the position?

 Weylin, tell us what a typical day or week looks like for you. 

 what advice do you have for other dmos that are considering creating a sustainability position.

For more on the “three Ps” of sustainability, check out “Good tourism balances people, profit, and planet,” featuring Anna de Jong of the Good Tourism Institute, a podcast hosted by David Peacock, senior advisor of the Future Tourism Group at Simpleview.

Eileen Connell

Eileen Connell is a former content specialist for Simpleview. In her writing and editing role, she created compelling content about DMOs, the tourism industry, and Simpleview's products and services.

Engagement & Inclusion Coordinator

Salary: $21-$27 hour DOE Job Type: Full Time Location: Durango, CO Publish Date: Posted September 12, 2023 Applications have closed

Visit Durango is the official destination management and marketing organization of  La Plata County. Our organization serves La Plata County by channeling the power of visitation. Our vision is to inspire our community to find balance and make La Plata County an inviting place to live and visit.

GENERAL PURPOSE: The Engagement & Inclusion Coordinator will develop and implement strategies to drive meaningful community engagement efforts. By collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders, the Coordinator will ensure that our initiatives are socially responsible, inclusive, and aligned with the values and goals of local communities. This position will also support the Destination Management department in sustainability and stewardship projects.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES  

• Create and manage diverse and inclusive programs and campaigns to ensure La Plata County is a welcoming destination for all
• Plan, design, and assist in delivering engaging and informative community engagement activities, and public events
• Plan and support destination certification processes
• Assist with committee planning, scheduling, note-taking, research, data entry, and other administrative tasks for the Destination Management department
• Assist with resident communication programs and tracking of resident sentiment
• Represent Visit Durango on boards, committees, and other events or groups as assigned
• Review all marketing materials, written communications, and other materials to ensure Visit Durango’s DEI standards are adhered to
• Improve outreach and engagement to build relationships with marginalized  communities and establish trust and affinity
• Plan training and educational offerings for internal (staff) and external (clients, industry) stakeholders
• Stay up to date on terminology and best practices of DEI and educate Visit Durango staff, Board members, and committee members on an ongoing basis
• Assist leadership with public statements and crisis communications

Required Qualifications: 

• Outgoing and friendly approach to the community and commitment to excellent customer service
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with an ability to work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity within Visit Durango and the tourism industry
• Innovative problem solver and work independently to drive program commitments
• Implementation-oriented and results-driven
• Team player and collaborate across all
• Ability to take initiative on research, training, and learning opportunities  to be successful in the role

Preferred Qualifications:

• 1+ year of work or volunteer experience in community engagement and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Experience in activism related to diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion
• Bachelor’s degree or 3+ additional years of relevant work experience

EMPLOYMENT PACKAGE:

Salary: $21-$27 per hour DOE

In compliance with Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA) we are disclosing the compensation for this position.  

Generous benefits include:

• Health, Vision, Dental, and Short-Term Disability
• 23 Days of Paid Time Off + Holidays
• And we love dogs! They’re invited to join you in the office

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The candidate must be based in southwest Colorado and able to commute to the Durango office five days per week. Must be able to focus in an open workspace. This position involves domestic travel.

Interested in joining our team? Send your resume and cover letter to: [email protected]

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as established to meet the ongoing needs of the organization. 

Visit Durango is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, marital status, or status as a U.S. Veteran.

Job Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Mental Health Resources
• Paid Time Off
• Pet Friendly

We provide visitors with detailed information on world-class events, attractions, restaurants, and accommodations in the Durango area. Whether you are planning a family vacation, a business trip or a conference, let us help make your visit an unforgettable experience!

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Reports: Woodson and staff expected to visit multiple in-state recruits

Subscribe to TheHoosier.com to stay up to date on the latest Indiana Athletics news and headlines.

According to multiple reports, which sources confirmed to TheHoosier.com, Mike Woodson and his coaching staff are expected to visit a handful of prominent 2025 in-state recruits on Tuesday.

2025 five-star Jalen Haralson of La Lumiere, 2025 four-star Braylon Mullins of Greenfield Central and 2025 four-star Trent Sisley of Heritage Hills are all expected to meet with Woodson and the coaching staff.

A 6-foot-7 guard/forward, Haralson is one of the top players in the 2025 class. He's ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the class by Rivals.

Haralson is a versatile scorer, possessing physical tools well beyond his years. He's shown an ability to score around the basket with a flurry of finishes throughout his high school career.

Indiana is competing for Haralson's services with the likes of Purdue, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Duke amongst others.

Standing at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, Mullins is a top-100 prospect in the class of 2025. Rivals has the talented Greenfield, Indiana native ranked as the No. 88 player in the class.

Mullins has had a fantastic first weekend at Adidas 3SSB playing for Indiana Elite. The guard has put his 3-level scoring on full display with Indiana Elite.

Other schools showing interest in Mullins include Notre Dame, Butler, Iowa and a handful of others.

Check out TheHoosier.com's in-depth piece on Sisley here.

Ranked as the No. 71 prospect in the class of 2025, Sisley is one of the top ranked players in the state of Indiana in the class.

A 6-foot-7 forward, Sisley can put the ball on the floor and score from everywhere on the court.

During his junior campaign at Heritage Hills High School, Sisley became the schools all-time leading scorer. Per MaxPreps, Sisley poured in 24.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.3 assist a night.

Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Purdue, as well as some other schools are all vying for the four-star recruit's services.

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Review of UN agency helping Palestinian refugees found Israel did not express concern about staff

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — An independent review of the neutrality of the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees found that Israel never expressed concern about anyone on the staff lists it has received annually since 2011. The review was carried out after Israel alleged that a dozen employees of the agency known as UNRWA had participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks .

In a wide-ranging 48-page report released Monday, the independent panel said UNRWA has “robust” procedures to uphold the U.N. principle of neutrality, but it cited serious gaps in implementation, including staff publicly expressing political views, textbooks used in schools the agency runs with “problematic content” and staff unions disrupting operations. It makes 50 recommendations to improve UNRWA's neutrality.

From 2017 to 2022, the report said, the annual number of allegations of neutrality being breached at UNRWA ranged from seven to 55. But between January 2022 and February 2024, U.N. investigators received 151 allegations, most related to social media posts “made public by external sources,” it said.

In a key section on the neutrality of staff, the panel, which was led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, said UNRWA shares lists of staff with host countries for its 32,000 staff, including about 13,000 in Gaza. But it said Israeli officials never expressed concern and informed panel members it did not consider the list “a screening or vetting process” but rather a procedure to register diplomats.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry informed the panel that until March 2024 the staff lists did not include Palestinian identification numbers, the report said.

Apparently based on those numbers, “Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations ,” the panel said. “However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this" to the refugee agency.

Colonna stressed that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed the independent review panel to review UNRWA's neutrality — not to investigate Israeli allegations that 12 UNRWA staffers participated in the Oct. 7 attacks. Guterres ordered the U.N. internal watchdog, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, known as OIOS, to conduct a separate investigation into those Israeli allegations.

“It is a separate mission. And it is not in our mandate,” Colonna said. She also said it is not surprising that Israel did not provide evidence of its allegations to the refugee agency “because it doesn't owe this evidence during the investigation to UNRWA but to the OIOS.”

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Monday the U,N. hopes to have an update from OIOS “in the coming days.” He said its investigators have been in contact with Israeli security services.

Israel’s allegations led to the suspension of contributions to UNRWA by the United States and more than a dozen other countries. That amounted to a pause in funding worth about $450 million, according to Monday’s report, but a number of countries have resumed contributions.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday called on donor countries to avoid sending money to the organization .

“The Colonna report ignores the severity of the problem, and offers cosmetic solutions that do not deal with the enormous scope of Hamas’ infiltration of UNRWA,” ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said. “This is not what a genuine and thorough review looks like. This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on looks like.”

Colonna urged the Israeli government not to discount the independent review. “Of course you will find it is insufficient, but please take it on board. Whatever we recommend, if implemented, will bring good," she said.

The report stresses the critical importance of UNRWA, calling it “irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and economic development” in the absence of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and “pivotal in providing life-saving humanitarian aid and essential social services, particularly in health and education, to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.”

Dujarric welcomed this commitment to UNRWA and said the report “lays out clear recommendations, which the secretary-general accepts.” The U.N. hopes to see the return of donors as well as new donors following the report’s release, he said.

Among the recommendations are steps to tackle politicization of UNRWA staff and its staff unions. The report recommends that staff lists with ID numbers be provided to host countries, which would then tell UNRWA the results of their screening and "any red flags.”

The report also calls for stronger oversight of UNRWA’s leadership and operations, “zero-tolerance" of antisemitism or discrimination in textbooks used in its schools, and greater international involvement in supporting the agency as it addresses neutrality issues.

UNRWA’s Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said safeguarding the agency's neutrality is critical to its work and it is developing a plan to implement the report's recommendations.

With Israel calling for the breakup of the agency, Lazzarini told the U.N. Security Council last week that dismantling UNRWA would deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and speed up the onset of famine.

International experts have warned of imminent famine in northern Gaza and said half the territory’s 2.3 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation if the Israeli-Hamas war intensifies.

The review was conducted over nine weeks by Colonna and three Scandinavian research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights. Colonna said the group spoke with more than 200 people, including UNRWA staff in Gaza, and had direct contacts with representatives of 47 countries and organizations.

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• Durango in 2 days
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Table of contents

Day 1: most popular attractions, day 2: off the beaten path, durango & silverton narrow gauge railroad.

Strater Hotel

Durango Welcome Center

Durango downtown inn, durango off leash dog park, schneider park, the powerhouse, chapman hill ice rink and ski area, where to eat, the office spiritorium, seasons of durango, durango bagel, steamworks brewing company.

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Purgatory Resort

Pinkerton hot springs, animas river, durango community recreation center, durango wildlife museum, durango farmers market, durango antique market, four leaves winery, michel's corner crepes, east by southwest, los amigos del sur mexican restaurant.

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Popular road trips from durango, what's the weather like in durango.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Durango for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

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Explore nearby places

• Chimney Rock
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• Pagosa Springs
• Placerville
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All related maps of Durango

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Durango throughout the year

• Durango in January
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Check out our other curated itineraries that are also filled with jam-packed days:

Day itineraries for nearby cities

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Employee finds purpose and fulfillment serving ’Canes community

By Life@TheU [email protected] 04-24-2024

Over the past 25 years, Marcia Heath, archives specialist at the University Libraries, has gained firsthand knowledge about the University’s nearly-100 years of history. Working intimately with letters, photographs, and newspaper clippings, she has supported countless research requests, helped hire and worked closely with student workers, and sifted through thousands of images and documents while preparing countless exhibitions. Her work has supported numerous authors with their book projects, including acclaimed historian and preservationist Arva Moore Parks , who served as a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees for 26 years, and William R. Butler , the University’s first vice president for student affairs.

In a few words, what has kept you at the University all these years?

I love working with students and faculty members. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to help them locate historical documents in the University Archives. I value the relationships with the students, faculty members, and researchers. While working in the University Archives, I am asked to assist in many different areas. I love to help, and I believe when we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. It’s my mission on this earth to help people and that's who I am. 

My mentor, Beatrice Skokan, continues to show me how valuable I am within the organization by providing regular feedback and recognition, offering opportunities for growth and development, showing empathy and understanding, while demonstrating trust and respect. I am so grateful for her mentorship and valued advice.

What is your most memorable experience at the University?

One of my most memorable experiences involved co-curating the 2017 exhibit, “We Are Pioneers.” This project gave me a chance to bring to life the story of the first Black students at the University of Miami. It was a challenge to locate the few photographs taken during the 1960s and 1970s of the first Black students. I was determined to find images to display and spent a whole year searching through yearbooks. The first Black alumni who came to see the exhibit were amazed to see photos of themselves they didn’t know existed.

Also, in 2016 during the inauguration of President Julio Frenk, I had the unique opportunity to share details about the historical images of University presidents on display during “First at UM,” one of the presidential events at the Newman Alumni Center. I helped organize an exhibition that included the University’s first published yearbook, which President Frenk perused. It was an amazing time. I'll never forget the opportunity I had supporting multiple exhibits and putting together talking points for the inaugural event.

What does being recognized for reaching this important milestone mean to you?

This milestone demonstrates appreciation for my hard work, valuable contributions, and dedication to the University of Miami.

This year's Faculty and Staff Long Service Award Ceremony recognizes 316 faculty and staff who have reached a long service milestone of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55 years between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. Show our long service honorees some appreciation by sending a heartfelt card through the Thank a 'Cane tool . View a full list of this year's honorees .

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Adored ostrich at Kansas zoo dies after swallowing staff member's keys

TOPEKA, Kan. — A beloved ostrich at the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center in Kansas has died after swallowing a staff member’s keys.

The zoo announced in a social media post Friday that the 5-year-old ostrich named Karen had reached beyond her exhibit’s fence and grabbed and swallowed the employee’s keys. Staff consulted with experts around the U.S. “to undergo surgical and non-surgical efforts to minimize the impact of the keys. Unfortunately, these efforts were unsuccessful,” the zoo said.

Karen was euthanized Thursday and “passed away in staff’s hands,” Topeka Zoo Interim Director Fawn Moser said in an email.

“We are devastated by the loss of Karen,” Moser said in a statement. “She was not just an animal; she was a beloved member of our community. Our thoughts are with our dedicated animal care team, who formed deep bonds with Karen during her time with us.”

The adored ostrich had been at the zoo since March 2023. She was known for her love of playing in water “and, best of all, being our ‘dancing queen!’” the zoo said.

The zoo said it undertook an investigation and “is taking appropriate actions regarding the team member involved.” The zoo also said it would review and enhance safety protocols for its animals.

The Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center is home to more than 300 animals exhibited throughout 35 acres, according to its website.

The Associated Press