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Aspen Chamber outlines $4.5M destination-marketing plan, flags airport closure impact
Summary
Eliza Voss of the Aspen Chamber Resort Association told council ACRA’s 2026 destination marketing budget is about $4.5 million and described plans for special events, sustainability initiatives and messaging tied to an anticipated Aspen airport closure in 2027.
Eliza Voss, vice president of destination marketing for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, told the Aspen City Council the chamber will carry a destination marketing budget of about $4,500,000 in 2026 and continue to focus on visitor management, group sales and special events.
“We have a total budget this year of about 4,500,000,” Voss said. She described ACRA as a hybrid chamber and destination-marketing organization governed by a 25-member board and noted that a 2% lodging tax funds much of its tourism work (75% of that tax, she said, goes toward promotion and tours). Voss said ACRA plans to increase spending on special events and will take on evening activations for July 4 and New Year’s Eve in 2026 under existing partnership arrangements.
Voss described ACRA’s destination management plan as organized around three pillars — addressing visitor pressure, enhancing the Aspen experience and preserving small-town character — and said the chamber will continue local campaigns promoting arts, culture and responsible recreation. She highlighted partnerships with state and federal agencies, including the Colorado Tourism Office and the White River National Forest communications effort.
On transportation planning, Voss reminded council of an anticipated Aspen airport closure from April to November 2027 and said ACRA will keep 2026 campaigns steady to avoid market confusion while planning joint communications with county partners. “The anticipated closure from April to November 2027,” she said, will be coordinated with county communications and industry partners.
Council members pressed for quantitative measures the chamber can provide to show the $4.5 million produces a measurable return for Aspen. Voss pointed to sales-tax revenue, occupancy and wastewater-flow trends as indicators and said ACRA will share specific website- and event-driven economic-impact reports when available, including winter-school and Food & Wine economic-impact work.
The chamber also previewed updates to aspenchamber.org, ongoing visitor-services staffing at the airport and partnerships on accessible-travel grants. Council requested follow-up detail on group-sales revenue and website-return-on-investment metrics so elected officials can show constituents concrete results tied to the lodging-tax-funded marketing effort.
