Pikes Peak – Terry Duncan
(Colorado Springs) – Visitor numbers and spending in Colorado Springs are up in 2023, the Colorado Springs Tourism Bureau revealed Thursday, June 20.
According to the 2023 Longwoods International Travel U.S. Visitor Survey, visitor numbers are expected to increase from 24 million in 2022 to 24.8 million in 2023, with spending increasing from $2.8 billion in 2022 to $2.9 billion.
“Evaluating visitation and spending over the past few years shows how our destinations have fared during and after the pandemic,” said Doug Price, president and CEO of VCOS. “In 2021, Colorado Springs was a popular choice on the strength of its wide-open spaces and abundant outdoor adventures that can be enjoyed safely. In 2022 and 2023, we saw domestic leisure travel return in earnest and continued visitor growth.”
Key findings from the survey include:
75% of overnight travelers are repeat visitors, and 53% have visited within the past 12 months. 36% of overnight travelers say their primary purpose for traveling is to visit friends and family, 16% for sightseeing, and 12% for outdoor activities. Most visitors (30%) visit between July and September, 26% between April and June, 23% between October and December, and 23% between January and March. 31% of travel groups had members who required accessibility services. 74% were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the ease of accessibility. All activities that travelers participated in during their trip exceeded U.S. standards, with 68% of visitors participating in outdoor activities, 64% participating in recreational activities, and 48% participating in cultural activities. 62% of overnight travelers were very satisfied with their trip overall.
“Trends we hope to explore further in our 2023 survey results include travelers visiting friends and family and improved efforts to assist visitors with accessibility needs,” said Alexea Veneracion, director of communications for Colorado Springs Tourism. “Typically, one of the main reasons travelers come to our destinations is to visit friends and family. This statistic shows the importance of leveraging our residents to support tourism and know the best spots to recommend. For a destination marketing organization like ours, it’s also important that residents know how to be good stewards of our parks, trails and open spaces so they can educate visitors who come to town.”
Colorado Springs is “Destination Certified” by Wheel the World, and the city offers a variety of accessible experiences and excursions.
For more information on the impact of tourism in the Pikes Peak region, visit VisitCOS.com.
