Tourism is booming in Colorado, setting back-to-back records in 2012 and 2013. But there’s no guarantee the trend will continue, Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday.
“Tourism, as much as any industry, requires … maintaining your investments or growing them,” he told tourism business leaders at the Discover Colorado Rally to mark National Tourism and Travel Week. “We can track very clearly how well our investments are paying off.”
The Colorado Tourism Office has $19 million to spend promoting the state this year, up from $17 million the previous year. It’s one of the biggest budgets for the office since 2006, when Gov. Bill Owens made funding for the office permanent .
Research firm Longwoods International released a study of Colorado tourism traffic last summer showing 2013 as a record year, . The study showed the stirred 15.1 million leisure trips, with vacationers who spent about $376 a day during their stay.
Tourism office leaders are quick to point out that the state’s 2013 tourism ad campaign delivered $344 in travel spending for every dollar invested, up from $228 the previous year.
That was the main message behind the tourism office’s request for $5 million this year, on top of the $15 million it gets from gaming taxes. The Colorado Tourism Office said the extra $5 million it wanted for the coming fiscal year would bolster the “Come To Life” campaign, promote international travel and support
It was not an easy sell. Staff members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee recommended the committee remain neutral on the tourism funding request “until data on return on investment for tourism promotion can be better understood.”
“Staff is unclear on whether the state’s investment played a larger role than (or complementary role to) the ongoing economic recovery in increasing the number of visitors to Colorado,” said the committee’s November 2014 report scrutinizing the tourism funding request.
Ultimately the committee approved the request, increasing the tourism office’s budget to $19 million, with the extra million split between the Colorado film commission and eye care for children.
“The easiest thing to justify when that budget comes through is tourism,” said Rep. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale, who serves on the Joint Budget Committee.
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jasonblevins
64.6 million
people visited Colorado in 2013
$17.3 billion
was spent in the state by those visitors
15.1 million
trips were linked to the state’s “Come to Life” advertising campaign
$376
was spent daily by those vacationers during their stay
