421. Turning Tourism Challenges into Opportunities for Three Lakes, with Jacqui Sharpe

On this episode of Destination on the Left, Jacqui Sharpe, Executive Director at Three Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce shares a fascinating journey of transforming a small town’s tourism landscape by tackling significant hurdles like the lodging shortage. She discusses the innovative steps they are taking to attract a hotel developer, address restrictive short-term rental ordinances, and harness community collaboration.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• How Jacqui navigated through the unique challenge of having high tourist interest but limited lodging in Three Lakes
• Why Jacqui believes collaboration and partnerships are critical for addressing community challenges and fostering economic development
• How the community’s history and natural resources have shaped Three Lakes as an attractive tourist destination
• Why the short-term rental ordinance and lack of hotels present a significant economic impact challenge, and what steps Jacqui is taking to address these
• What Jacqui has learned from collaborating with the Wisconsin Economic Development Association and others

Navigating Tourism Challenges in Three Lakes, Wisconsin

The challenges faced by Three Lakes, Wisconsin, underscore a common issue in the tourism industry: balancing development with maintaining a small-town charm. For Jacqui’s community, attracting visitors isn’t the problem; it’s where to accommodate them. The community faces significant challenges due to lodging restrictions. Local ordinances require a minimum seven-day stay for short-term rentals, and a lack of hotel infrastructure following the loss of a downtown hotel in 2019 has resulted in a scarcity of lodging options. This means that visitors often stay elsewhere, taking their economic potential with them.

This is why Jacqui and her team have been proactive in attracting new lodging developments. By emphasizing suitable lodging options in tourism-driven economies, they aim to inject a projected $13 million into the local economy over the next five years.

Collaborative Initiatives

Collaboration is at the heart of Jacqui’s strategy to tackle lodging shortcomings. Her efforts with other DMOs to form a cohesive tourism department underscore a regional approach to development. Jacqui aims to fill the lodging void with developments that reflect community values and needs by aligning with economic development associations like the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDC) and forming partnerships with hotel companies like Cobblestone.

Establishing a new hotel, which is projected to open in 2026, is a major milestone. The project, supported by local banks and investors who require fewer incentives, will address the existing lodging gap while respecting and enhancing the small-town ethos vital to residents and returning visitors.

The emphasis is reinvesting growth into the community through initiatives like community development funds. This ensures that economic benefits translate into tangible improvements for local residents, preserving the town’s charm amid change.

Resources:

• Website: https://www.threelakes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threelakeswi/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-sharpe-50482a15/

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