From The Atlantic Monthly to Real Simple, magazine readers across the country are seeing a different side of Colorado this spring, thanks to two new print ads launched recently by the Colorado Tourism Office.
The ads, which feature Colorado’s Grand Valley wine country and Dinosaur National Monument, are designed to publicize the state’s cultural and heritage tourism offerings.
“They represent some of the other activities you can do in our state, to let people know that we’re not all about hard-core adventure,” said tourism office spokeswoman Stefanie Dalgar. “We haven’t done that much in the past on heritage and cultural tourism, which is a fast-growing segment of the market.”
The ads are running in high-end publications such as Food & Wine, Sunset and Smithsonian as part of the agency’s ongoing mission to increase tourism spending in Colorado. Tourism is the state’s second-largest industry, generating $7.3 billion in spending in 2004.
While more tourists visited the state that year than in 2003, they spent slightly less on average, according to strategic-research firm Longwoods International.
Yet wine-related tourism brought $20.6 million in direct economic impact last year, with 150,000-plus people visiting one of the state’s 66 vineyards or tasting rooms, according to a study being released today by the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board.
“It’s already a huge draw, and we’re just beginning to scratch the surface,” said Doug Caskey, the group’s executive director. “The CTO ads are really expanding what people think of when they think of Colorado.”
Heritage tourists – people who seek out sites of cultural or historic importance – are desirable travelers, thanks mainly to their high spending levels. They spent $3.4 billion in Colorado in 2003, up from $300 million in 1999, according to a study released last fall by the Colorado Historical Foundation.
Colorado tourism officials will kick off the upcoming summer travel season today with a rally at the state Capitol. The mood should be celebratory, with the state legislature poised to approve a $20 million annual boost to the state’s tourism-marketing fund within the week.
House Bill 1201 will divert funds from the state’s gaming taxes to tourism marketing.
The tourism office currently has a budget of $5.3 million. It tentatively plans to use the extra money to boost marketing efforts in core markets – such as Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago – and possibly to launch a television advertising campaign.
“This is a monumental step for Colorado,” said Pete Meersman, chairman of the tourism office’s board. “We’ll have almost four times the budget we’ve had for the past several years. That’s going to make a huge difference in increasing our market share.”
Because the Colorado Tourism Office is required to put its account up for public bid this summer, a new agency may be in charge of the expanded campaign. Praco, the Denver and Colorado Springs firm that has created the state’s tourism ad campaigns since 2000, plans to bid to keep the account, said president Nechie Hall.
And despite soaring gasoline prices, the industry remains optimistic that summer tourism will be strong, thanks in part to the rebounding national economy.
“There hasn’t been any evidence that high gas prices are affecting our reservations,” said Vail Valley Chamber & Tourism Bureau spokesman Ian Anderson. “Summer looks really good. We’re pacing right along with last year, if not slightly ahead.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
$7.3 BILLION
Tourism-related spending in Colorado during 2004, making it the state’s second-largest industry
$5.3 MILLION
Current marketing budget for Colorado’s state tourism office
$20 MILLION
Increase lawmakers are expected to approve in the state’s tourism-marketing fund
$20.6 MILLION
Economic impact in Colorado of wine-related tourism last year, as more than 150,000 people visited one of the state’s 66 vineyards or tasting rooms
$3.4 BILLION
Spending by heritage tourists at cultural or historic venues in 2003, up from $300 million in 1999
