Al White, , will leave state government Sept. 30.
He was previously the executive director of the Colorado Tourism Office. In announcing White’s departure, Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office credited him for spurring record tourism numbers during his 4½-year tenure.
“Under Al White’s leadership, the Colorado Tourism Office has achieved the highest level of success and (return on investment) ever,” trade office board member and Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau sales director Barbara Bowman said in a statement. “We owe Al an extreme debt of gratitude for what he has done and the impact that he has had not only on the tourism industry but also on the state as a whole.”
The governor’s office cited key milestones, including increasing visits to Colorado by 26 percent to 71.3 million in 2014, fighting for state funding for agritourism and increasing direct spending by tourists to $18.6 billion in 2014, with 66 percent of that coming from visitors who stayed overnight in paid accommodations. The record spending figure was up 7.4 percent from the year before and significantly higher than the 4.5 percent national growth rate.
A search for a replacement in the tourism office is underway.
A former Republican state representative, who touted tourism and its impact on Colorado during his decade in the legislature. He was hired to the tourism office in December 2010 as Hickenlooper prepared for this first term.
“I am incredibly grateful to the governor for the opportunity he afforded me to serve as the director of the Colorado Tourism office these last four and a half years, and I’m excited to see what new opportunities and adventures await me,” White said.
