Real places where real people did real things. Places such as American Indian cliff dwellings, mining towns, internment camps and pioneer forts.
They’re the kinds of historic places that are attracting a growing – and lucrative – segment of the national tourist market, and Colorado’s tourism officials are poised to promote them as part of a new campaign to attract heritage travelers.
The Colorado Tourism Office unveiled a draft of its campaign Wednesday at the annual Governor’s Tourism Conference.
“This state has lovely mountains and terrific skiing and recreation, but we also have an awesome history,” said Barbara Pahl, director of the mountains/ plains region of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “It just hasn’t been developed. It hasn’t been promoted, and it hasn’t been marketed.”
The Colorado Tourism Office is partnering with the Colorado Historical Society on the program. It is being paid for by a $550,000 grant from the state Historical Fund.
Preliminary plans include updating Colorado’s marketing materials with historical information and offering grants to heritage sites and initiatives. The final plan should be released in late October.
“This segment is growing really rapidly, about twice as fast as the overall travel market, and we want to capitalize on that,” said Scott Campbell, who has been hired to manage the plan. “People like the idea that they’re traveling to a unique place with lots of things to do.”
Nationally, the heritage travel segment has grown by 45 percent since 1996, according to Longwoods International, a strategic research firm.
Heritage travelers are an attractive demographic because they tend to stay longer than the average tourist and, on average, spend 22 percent more money.
“They tend to be older, they tend to be better educated, and they tend to have higher household incomes,” Pahl said. “It’s a very desirable market.”
Colorado was 23rd nationally as a travel destination last year. In 2003, 38 percent of its overnight pleasure travelers, about 8 million people, visited heritage sites.
While there is no complete list of Colorado’s historic sites, popular destinations include the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
While outdoor recreation is still the state’s top draw, heritage tourism is a solid niche to develop, said Eugene Dilbeck, executive director of the Center for Travel and Tourism at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.
“The outdoor recreation piece is flat across the country,” he said. “As a result, the ability to diversify your destination is very smart.”
Historic Boulder Inc., a preservation organization formed in 1972, is among the groups trying to attract heritage tourists. It is creating a tour of dozens of historic sites along Boulder County’s river corridors.
“Heritage tourism is getting stronger,” president Karen Hag ler said. “It’s outstanding that the state is recognizing that.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
Attractions waiting to attract
Colorado has dozens of locations that would qualify as heritage sites, but many are not ready for tourists, says Barb Pahl, director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Mountains/Plains Office. Among those that could be considered:
