Cathy Ritter

Managing tourism dynamics during times of prosperity and crisis, Cathy Ritter has built a reputation for partnership and turning insights into action. She founded Better Destinations LLC in spring 2021 as a flexible consulting practice bringing together teams of experts to address various destination challenges, especially relating to destination stewardship and destination development.

The Denver-based consultancy has built a specialty around assisting some of the nation's top destination organizations — including the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Travel Nevada,  Lake Tahoe, the Town of Vail, Grand County/Moab UT, and many others — to shape strategies that serve both visitors and the interests of local communities and industry stakeholders. She takes particular pride in collaborating with the Port Aransas Tourism Bureau to create the award-winning "Respect Our Island Home" initiative and the 2024-2027 Envision Port Aransas strategic plan, centered on regenerative tourism.

Cathy is among a handful of people who have led tourism offices for multiple states, serving in that role for both Illinois and Colorado. As Director of the Colorado Tourism Office, she led creation of the Colorado Tourism Roadmap,  widely credited for sparking a national movement toward sustainable tourism.

Cathy has served since 2020 as a Trustee of the Travel Foundation, an international NGO focused on improving the well-being of destinations across the globe. Previously, she was chair of the National Council of State Tourism Directors, a member of the U.S. Travel Association Executive Committee, and an officer of the Western States Tourism Policy Council. She co-chairs the America's Culture Advisory Council for America 250.