The Visit Truckee-Tahoe Board of Directors voted to fund and resource the development of a long-term Destination Stewardship Plan (2021-2025) which focuses on solutions to peak period tourism impacts and provides a long-term vision for protecting and preserving Truckee as an economically thriving, authentic mountain town for future generations of both residents and visitors to enjoy.

A Changing Travel Industry

Rapid growth in the travel industry worldwide has caused considerable friction between residents, governments, tourism organizations and the visitors themselves. If left unmanaged, the rise in tourism could undermine resident quality of life, which can in time, erode the visitor’s opinion of a place. Viewed another way, actions directly aimed at making our town a better place to live and work will also make it more appealing to visit.

Tourism is foundational to the fabric of our community and economic vitality, and with that comes the need for an artful balance for both residents and visitors to ensure quality of life and authentic place-based experiences. This is a pivotal moment. For Truckee, we acknowledge and understand both the positive and negative impacts of tourism on the local economy and our residents. A Destination Stewardship plan focuses on an equitable approach that moves beyond business as usual to protect our core values and manage growth.

Destination Stewardship & Management

Visit Truckee Tahoe is embarking on a multi year project development strategy that centers on how our organization can lead a tourism evolution that sustains and helps grow Truckee as a high quality place to live and to visit. In October of 2020, the Visit Truckee-Tahoe (VTT) Board of Directors voted to fund and resource the development of a five-year Destination Management Plan (DMP) in order to take the lead on addressing population surges that degrade Truckee’s environment, overtax infrastructure and cause stress for our citizens. The purpose of a Destination Stewardship Plan is to provide a playbook that focuses on solutions for peak period tourism impacts and to commit to a long-term vision for protecting and preserving Truckee as an economically thriving, authentic mountain town for future generations of both residents and visitors to enjoy.

Truckee Stewardship Council

Being good Destination Stewards takes thoughtful outreach and careful listening to the individual voices of every stakeholder. In 2021, Visit Truckee-Tahoe will establish a Truckee Stewardship Council to provide governance that keeps sustainability at the forefront of community planning and engagement. This council will be a cross section body of destination and community leaders focused on the advancement of sustainable tourism development for Truckee. The council will aim to ensure that tourism preserves and benefits the environment, culture and community livelihood, including quality of life for our residents, and quality of place for our visitors.

Accountability & Sustainability Certification

Thriving communities are not created in silos - they are created by working together. A Destination Stewardship Plan will provide our community with an unified approach toward a shared vision, however, a globally recognized sustainable certification awarded by an accredited third party will bring true accountability, validating that Truckee complies with the highest social and environmental standards. Visit Truckee-Tahoe is in pursuit of the Mountain IDEAL Standard for Sustainable Destination Certification that will identify Truckee as a sustainable destination with a real working framework for its residents and visitors that fosters quality of life and quality of vacation.