The members of the Monte Vista MIRA Team knew the San Luis Valley faced many social and economic struggles. Some of the counties in the San Luis Valley are the poorest in the state of Colorado and country as a whole. The valley's main industry, agriculture, was experience greater financial challenges and many of the affected businesses were small and family-owned.

The Monte Vista Team wanted to find a way to bring additional revenue to their valley and the family-owned businesses there. They decided that promoting and enhancing tourist flow was one way to accomplish their goal. They also hoped that tourist money would also spill-over to effect all businesses in the region.

The team members went into their MIRA project armed with the information gleaned from a questionnaire sent to approximately 100 lodging establishments and 20 attractions. They had received a 40% response which indicated a interest in creating a web site to unite the valley and serve as a low cost reservation system. Respondents also indicated the importance of valley residents shopping within the valley and not traveling for products and services already available from valley businesses. A website would also serve as advertisement for such businesses.

With this information in mind, the Monte Vista Team planned to create a valley-wide, web-based support system for the various tourism and retail businesses in the San Louis Valley. This first phase of this project was funded by the MIRA grant money. The team set up a web site to coordinate information on valley businesses, visitor services, and attractions. The web site is hosted by El Telar, at no cost to the MIA team. They also conducted a feasibility study for the cost-effective central reservation system. Unfortunately, the study showed that establishing this system would not be feasible due to the high cost of software, staffing and the decline in public use of these types of systems.

The team has sent a economic development survey to valley businesses in order to gather information for the developed web site. Furthermore, the team has used media outlets and mailings to avail all businesses in the Valley of the opportunity to participate on this promotional web site. A strategic business and marketing plan is in the process of being developed to serve as a blueprint for building upon this foundation and to assure the ongoing success of the website. Research has shown that the Valley-wide website offers benefits for the target markets -- Valley consumers and "outside" tourists -- as well as the entities who are listed on the website.