Colorado Tourism Office To Share Spring/Summer Campaign, Other New Programs on Five-Day, Seven-City “Discover Colorado Roadshow”

DENVER (April 27, 2016)─ Elected officials and Colorado Tourism Board members will join the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) team and industry partners from across the state at 10 a.m., May 2 on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol for a rally celebrating the value of tourism and honoring 10 outstanding frontline tourism workers from across the state.

 

Kicking off National Travel & Tourism Week, the rally will be the starting point of the inaugural Discover Colorado Roadshow, which will carry members of the Colorado Tourism Office and other tourism leaders on a five-day tour to share new initiatives aimed at supporting the business of tourism.

 

 “Tourism is one of the pillars of Colorado’s economy and is one of the sectors at the heart of our overall economic growth strategy,” said Governor John Hickenlooper. “Tourism equals jobs and revenue for Colorado, and positively impacts each and every resident of this state.”

 

Traveling on a motor coach wrapped in the state’s award-winning “Come to Life” message, the Colorado tourism team will join in a tourism rally at the Colorado Springs City Hall on May 2 and share the spring/summer campaign and insights into new tourism initiatives in presentations in Pueblo, Alamosa, Durango, Montrose and Grand Junction. The roadshow also introduces Cathy Ritter, new director of the Colorado Tourism Office and other new team members, while celebrating frontline tourism workers, several of whom will be honored along the route.

 

The rally at the State Capitol will offer a farmers’ market from 10 a.m. to noon, showcasing local foods. The rally will also feature Colorado summer activity experiences and Colorado sports team mascots. The event is free and open to the public.

 

“Tourism is an industry that touches all four corners of our state,” Ritter said. “We are excited to take the opportunity to share the word about all the exciting new plans under way to make the most of opportunities for visitor dollars to help create a better quality of life and more jobs for Coloradans.”

 

10 a.m.: Discover Colorado Rally on front steps of the State Capitol - Denver

3 p.m.: Discover Colorado Rally on front steps of City Hall - Colorado Springs

 

9 a.m.: Roadshow Presentation at Brues Ale House - Pueblo

1 p.m.: Roadshow Presentation at Bistro Rialto - Alamosa

 

9 a.m.: Roadshow Presentation at Henry Strater Theater - Durango

 

9 a.m.: Roadshow Presentation at Museum of the Mountain West - Montrose

 

9 a.m.: Roadshow Presentation at Two Rivers Convention Center - Grand Junction

 

Tourism is one of Colorado’s most important industries. In 2014 Colorado set all-time records welcoming 71.3 million visitors to the state who spent $18.6 billion and generated $1.1 billion in tax revenue. The 2015 travel year research will be released in June 2016.

 

National Travel and Tourism Week — America's annual salute to travel and tourism — was established by a congressional resolution in 1983. The week of events serves to champion the power of the tourism industry across the United States.

 

 

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Contacts:                  Carly Holbrook / 720.289.9366, [email protected]

                                Kirstin Graber / 303.892./3871, [email protected]