Tourists add $28.5B to Colorado economy last year, but 2025 numbers down

Tourists continued to funnel billions of dollars into the Colorado s business activity last year but new evidence published Tuesday shows a mixed bag for tourism s impact in and the first half of Tourism contributed billion to the state s business sector and supported jobs across the state in both of which are relatively flat compared to according to numbers published by the Colorado Tourism Office While the annual research from Dean Runyan Associates and Longwoods International Journey USA shows tourism is still a big economic driver indicators suggest that increasing competition and uncertainty related to federal approach changes are putting pressure on Colorado s thriving tourism industry state executives reported in a news release There was a increase in tourists last year from million people in to million in The majority of those were people visiting for a day trip according to the release Other tourist spending increased by a fraction of a percent in Colorado despite being up nationally Hotel occupancy was down as of June and the number of people staying in short-term rentals dropped by in the first quarter of the year state tourism authorities revealed We are committed to bringing forward innovative solutions to mitigate these changes while continuing to inspire the world to explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully Colorado Tourism Office Director Timothy Wolfe commented in a comment Get more business news by signing up for our Market Now newsletter