By Gene Davis, DENVER DAILY NEWS
While Denver attracted the same number of overnight visitors in 2008 and 2007, last year set a new record for visitor spending, according to the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Thanks to the Democratic National Convention and an overall strong convention year, visitors spent $3.1 billion in Denver in 2008, up 9 percent over the $2.9 billion visitors spent in 2007.
“When all is said and done, it’s about the money,” said Rich Grant of the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau (DCVB). “And we had more money spent by out of town people, which added to our economy and created jobs.”
While Denver only attracted a 1-percent growth in overnight leisure travelers in 2008, those travelers spent 10 percent more than last year. Business travel volume to Denver declined 2 percent in 2008, though the DNC and a strong convention year accounted for 5 percent more money being spent, said DCVB. Additionally, the 2-percent drop in business travelers was relatively impressive compared to the 11-percent decline in business travelers on a national level.
“Denver had its best convention year ever in 2008, which helped offset the huge national decline in business travel that occurred in the fourth quarter due to the economy,” said a statement from Richard Scharf, president of DCVB.
Grant said it’s not likely that 2009 will be able to match 2008 in overnight travelers to Denver. However, Grant noted that there have been some recent hopeful signs— consumer confidence rebounded sharply in April and Denver International Airport has been performing well in comparison to other airports.
Pro-tourism legislation
Also, pro-tourism legislation that is being locally touted by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, D-Colo., could help pick up Denver and Colorado’s tourism industry. The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 would establish a nationally coordinated travel promotion campaign aimed at attracting tourists to he United States.
“Tourism is a tremendous economic driver for Colorado, accounting for tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars for our economy,” said a statement from Bennet. “By creating a new, national program to attract international visitors to our state, we can spur job creation and economic growth while building on Colorado’s reputation as a place where people want to travel.”
If the bill passes, it would establish an independent, non-profit corporation and an Office of Travel Promotion in the Department of Commerce. The groups would be charged with developing programs to increase the number of international visitors to the United States.
Additionally, the bill would set up a fund that would be financed by a public-private matching program. A required $10 fee that would be paid by foreign travelers from Visa Waiver countries and collected through the Electronic Travel Authorization system would finance the federal contributions to the fund.
The senate is expected to vote on the bill this week.
Distributed by Colorado Capitol Reporters
