Denver sets tourism record
Denver saw its best year for tourism last year, with 10.5 million overnight visitors amounting to a 5 percent increase over 2004, according to a new study.
The study by Longwoods International of Toronto was commissioned by the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Visitors to Denver spent 5 percent more last year over the year before, with the $2.43 billion figure also a record.
Business travel showed a rebound in 2005, although the number fell short of a record. An estimated 2.5 million business travelers visited Denver, a 25 percent increase from the 2 million the prior year.
Denver's peak year for business travel was 2000, when 2.7 million business travelers visited, but the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the economic fallout since then has whittled away at that number.
A key indicator in the study was the increase in "marketable" visitors, which are those tourists who could go anywhere but choose Denver. The number of marketable visitors was up 7 percent, to 3.2 million.
Marketable visitors also are important because they stay in hotels and spend more money -- an average of $91 per day per person -- than people who stay with friends and relatives (who spend an average of $42 per person a day).
"We're very pleased that 2005 set a record, both for the largest number of visitors and the most money ever spent in Denver by travelers," Richard Scharf, president and CEO of the visitors bureau, said in a statement. "The 25 percent increase in business travelers shows the impact of the new convention center expansion and also shows that business travel is finally returning to pre-9/11 levels.
"We're also pleased that 'marketable' visitors increased by 7 percent, since these are the visitors that are most influenced by the bureau's marketing efforts," Scharf said.
Denver voters last year approved an initiative that will add $4 million to the bureau's marketing budget. The extra money began flowing to the tourism boosters in January.
"This study gives us a good benchmark so that we will be able to see what impact the new marketing dollars have in bringing more tourists and tourism spending to Denver next year," Scharf said.
Other findings from the study:
- Spending by business travelers increased to $820 million from $700 million in 2004. Business travelers also spent the most, accounting for $97 per person daily.
- Fewer Colorado residents visited Denver last year. In-state travel to Denver fell to 13 percent from 15 percent in 2004.
- Most visitors to Denver last year came from Colorado, followed by California, Texas, Illinois, Wyoming, Florida, Nebraska, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Arizona.
- Seven out of 10 visitors traveled at least 500 miles, or twice the national average to reach a vacation spot.
- The pedestrian-friendly 16th Street Mall downtown was the top free attraction for visitors, followed by the Lower Downtown historic district and the Cherry Creek Shopping District. The top paid attraction was the Denver Zoo, followed by the nearby Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Attending a Colorado Rockies game was third.
- Sixty percent of visitors saw Denver as "exciting" last year, up from 50 percent in 2004.
If there's one area the study showed needed improvement, it was the climate. Only 48 percent of tourists thought Denver had a great climate last year, in contrast with 56 percent who liked the climate in 2004.