Mountain towns like Breckenridge and Vail are the second-biggest reason people come to Colorado.
The Colorado Tourism Office just released its annual report, showing mountain towns generated $4.25 billion in spending last year. That’s 15% of all tourism spending, second only to the Denver metro area at nearly $14 billion (49%).
Statewide, tourism spending set a record of $28.2 billion, up 3.9% in a year. More people than ever made the trip, 93.3 million, 3 million more than the previous year.
More insights from that study:
- – Just about everyone who comes here has been here before: 85% are return visitors.
- – Most overnight visitors spend long weekends: 3.5 days on average
- – Almost 188,000 jobs statewide depend on tourism. The travel industry created nearly 9,500 new jobs in 2023 alone.
A different new travel survey shows young American travelers do not leave home to find new sights – they leave home to find themselves.
According to Thrillist, 76% of travelers under 40 travel to finds who they are, while 72% say it’s a way to express themselves. As many as 89% make travel a financial priority.
And when these young travelers are globetrotting, they want profound experiences, like visiting places tied to their heritage, or engaging in “passion travel” – seeking food, wellness, music and eco-tourism.