DENVER—State officials say Colorado tourism is up sharply after the state increased its marketing efforts—but state auditors question the figures.
Lawmakers voted to increase state tourism spending from $5.4 million in 2004 to $25 million in 2008.
Kim McNulty, director of the Colorado Tourism Office, said Tuesday the number of overnight trips to Colorado increased from 27 million in 2006 to 28 million in 2007. Overnight spending in the state rose from $8.9 billion in 2006 to $9.5 billion in 2007.
State auditors said Tuesday it’s difficult to determine the impact of increased marketing because people visit Colorado for a variety of personal and business reasons. They also criticized the tourism office for not setting more measurable goals.
“In many of these cases it is difficult to determine whether the incentive to visit Colorado was prompted by the tourism office’s marketing efforts, such as an advertisement in a magazine, or by other factors, such as a family reunion, increased snowfall, lower airfare costs or the opening of a new state park,” auditors said.
Auditors said the state received $13 for every dollar spent on marketing in 2003, which jumped to $18 the following year. However, it dropped back to $13 in 2007 when the economy began to slump, the last year figures were available.
