Colorado Tourism In 2024 To 2025 A Booming Industry And Shifting Trends – Everything You Need To Know

Friday, August 1, 2025

Colorado’s tourism system grew successful 2024, arsenic visitant spending, travel-related employment and wide level of net were up passim nan state. With visitors flocking to state’s world-class outdoor basking spots, moreover nan Colorado system did awesome pinch $28.5 cardinal successful full economical impact. Yet preliminary 2025 trends bespeak that nan tourism assemblage will not beryllium exempt from its stock of challenges, arsenic changing spending powerfulness of visitors and extrinsic impacts proceed to play important roles successful nan early of nan Colorado Tourism.

Visitation and Economic Impact Increases

Colorado tourism saw a 2.3% summation successful 2024, pinch 95.4 cardinal visitors, up from 93.3 cardinal a twelvemonth earlier. This surge successful visitation was a nonstop publication to nan authorities economy, much than $28 cardinal successful economical activity. The maturation successful recreation spending not only bolstered section businesses, but besides helped create jobs successful nan state, pinch astir 188,510 employment opportunities supported by tourism, pinch much than 4,000 caller jobs generated by nan sector, according to nan study by Longwoods International and Dean Runyan Associates.

Visitor spending connected accommodations, transportation, eating and unit were important successful this achievement. In nan Denver-area alone, location was almost $13.9 cardinal successful travel-related spending, which accounted for almost 49% of nan state’s full tourism revenue. The Rockies Playground, which includes areas for illustration Summit and Eagle counties, fared well, generating $4.4 cardinal successful recreation spending. Yet, contempt these optimistic signals location has been immoderate problem successful paradise erstwhile we proceed to excavation into nan numbers.

Beginning 2025, Problems and Downturns

2024 ended connected a precocious statement and 2025 is opening pinch immoderate signals of a slowdown. Preliminary statistic show a marginal alteration successful edifice occupancy by 2% and a simplification of 2.7% successful revenues from edifice stays up to June 2025. You tin besides rent them retired connected a short-term ground and those were affected much pinch short word rental occupancy down by astir 10 percent successful nan first quarter. The declines person caused interest successful nan tourism waste and acquisition overall, pinch manufacture professionals attributing immoderate of those declines to title from different states and uncertainty complete changes successful national argumentation playing a facet successful nan weaker start.

There was besides a drastic drop successful world tourism, peculiarly from Canada, successful early 2025. Canadians attitudes towards recreation changed retired of interest for tariffs, governmental statements and rate exchange. International travelers correspond astir 8-10% of Colorado’s tourism revenue, making this alteration thing that could alteration nan style of nan state’s tourism numbers successful nan early if this inclination continues.

Regional and Demographic Shifts

Local tourism spending besides had mixed results successful nan aftermath of nan broader economical fallout successful Colorado. Although nan Denver metro area saw nan mostly of spending arsenic well, nan awesome westbound region, which includes Grand and Routt counties, did spot a 3.2% diminution successful tourism-related gross compared to nan erstwhile year. In spite of this decline, different regions for illustration nan Rockies Playground were capable to support description , conscionable not arsenic beardown arsenic nan past fewer years.

A 2nd awesome inclination successful 2024 was nan caller look of Colorado’s visitors. Those who do recreation to nan authorities are wealthier and an expanding number gain much than $100,000 a year. This displacement successful demographics has created moreover much high-spending visitors and less low-income visitors. In addition, visitors are getting a small older, pinch nan mean property of tourists, for example, successful 2024 reaching 42 years old, up from 41.2 successful 2023.

The early for Colorado Tourism, Adaptation and Growth

The different bully news for Colorado tourism successful 2025 is that location are a number of different glimmers of hope. The state’s outdoor-dividend facet remains 1 of nan astir important successful nan nation, attracting visitors successful hunt of hiking, backpacking, nationalist parkland visits. Colorado is nan forefront of outdoor tourism, nationalist parks and beautiful scenery pull thousands of visitors each year.

What’s more, is that Colorado has besides made important advancement connected nan accessibility beforehand for visitors pinch 23% of overnight trips, needing astatine slightest 1 type of entree service. This surpasses nan U.S. average, and nan restitution complaint among visitors has surged, demonstrating nan state’s dedication to being inclusive.

Conclusion

2025 bespeak a reliable twelvemonth up for Colorado’s tourism industry, but pinch nan state’s resilient and divers tourism product, strategical trading and continued enhancements successful accessibility, it will beryllium well-prepared for semipermanent success. The changes successful visitant profiles and world visitation will require immoderate recalibration but by deliberately readying and by continuing to put successful section communities, Colorado’s tourism assemblage is still an economical workhorse. Prioritizing outdoor experiences and a dedication to improving entree whitethorn assistance nan authorities retired of immoderate of its existent struggles and tie galore much group to sojourn successful early years.