VISITOR EXPERIENCE

COLORADO GRASSROOTS TRAINING PROGRAM

Colorado Statewide Project

COLORADO


2 0 0 7  S C E N I C  B Y W A y  A W A R d  W i n n e R  f o r 

V I S I T o R  E X P E R I E N C E 

Think globally. Act locally. This slogan seems 
to be an overarching theme for the Colorado 
Grassroots Training Program initiated by the 
Colorado State Scenic Byways program. Business 
owner Roxie Morris wrote in her letter of support 
for the award that the project addressed a real 
need: “We have tried to provide needed information 
to our customers and visitors, but after reading 
some of the questions asked [at the training], 
we became sadly aware of how little we really 
knew about the area we have lived in all our lives. 
...but we do now!” 

INNOVATIVE TRAINING CONTENT & DELIVERY
 
The Colorado Grassroots Training Program was developed 
specifically to teach byway representatives how to train locals, 
including visitor center staff and volunteers; front-line hotel, 
restaurant and retail employees; and other members of the 
community who regularly interact with travelers. They are 
trained about all aspects of the local byway, from the byway’s 
interpretive message to current resource protection strategies. 
The training program’s strategic principle is that locals 
should teach locals, building on the foundation of existing 
local knowledge. 

The Colorado Grassroots Training Program includes creative 
learning tools, such as games, interactive activities, map 
making, and quizzes. Its innovative content is the heart of 
the program, generating a fun atmosphere that engages 
participants far beyond many similar training programs. The 
program strikes a balance between meaningful content and 
entertainment in a way that has made it incredibly well received 
by the local trainers and the employees and volunteers who 
participate. The program’s developers envisioned a learning 
experience that might actually help travel-related businesses 
keep their employees interested and employed for longer 
periods of time. 

MODEL FOR CREATING INTERPRETERS & LEADERS
 
Colorado’s Scenic Byways’ highly successful program 
demonstrates that tourism training with an authentic and 
substantive core can be most effective when it’s also fun and 
engaging. This proactive program includes a thorough manual, 
too, intended for any byway in Colorado or any byway in the 
U.S. to use. Notably, several other State byway programs have 
already adapted and implemented the training. Its replicable 
approach will continue to create interpreters and leaders 
around the country. 

PHOTOS (4): Colorado State Scenic Byways.


MOTTO: Sharing Success and Honoring Excellence