Colorado tourism sets record in 2007
A report released by the
Colorado Tourism Office says a record 28 million people visited Colorado last year.
Figures released Tuesday also indicate tourism contributed more than $9.8 billion to the state's economy in 2007, a 10 percent increase from 2006.
The state tourism office says that these numbers validate the money spent in "marketing" the state for tourism.
Outdoor trips compose the largest segment among those visiting Colorado on marketable leisure trips, ranking the state ninth among states for outdoor vacations. Colorado keeps its place as the country's top ski destination.
Colorado's tourism numbers have been steadily increasing since 2004.
Although the price of gas may potentially hurt the 2008 season, experts like Kim McNulty from the Colorado Tourism Office believe the state will weather the storm.
"We have heard that Memorial Day weekend was a really strong weekend for a lot of our destinations," McNulty said. "And their bookings are pretty strong so we're optimistic that people are going to continue to travel."
The states Coloradans visited most in 2007 were Texas, California, Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Kansas.
© The Associated Press