Visit Colorado Springs reports small growth in lodging tax, highlights $2.9 billion visitor spending

Doug Price, president and chief executive officer of Visit Colorado Springs, told the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on March 11 that 2024 brought modest growth in visitor spending and continued emphasis on group sales, marketing and accessibility programs.

Price said lodging and auto-rental tax collections for the city were about $9,624,000 in 2024, up 1.3% from roughly $9,493,000 in 2023. He said total visitor spending for the Pikes Peak region was about $2.9 billion and that group sales, sports and special events under Visit Colorado Springs’ direct influence generated about $153 million in economic impact.

The presentation put the year-over-year lodging-tax increase in context: Price said average daily room rates rose even as hotel occupancy averaged 63.2% in 2024, down 1.8 percentage points from 2023. He attributed a decline in group room nights year-to-year largely to two large groups that attended in 2023 — the International Jump Rope Union and the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association — which together accounted for roughly 35,000 rooms in 2023.

Price described Visit Colorado Springs’ marketing and outreach work, saying digital sessions rose about 3.7% year-over-year and that YouTube, Facebook and Instagram led social media engagement. He said the organization printed 400,000 vacation planners in 2024 and is reconsidering the print run and frequency for future guides because of cost and changing user behavior.

On accessibility and grant-funded projects, Price thanked the county for two $25,000 grants. He said one funded a video with Wheel the World highlighting accessible experiences, and another supported expanded international marketing.

Commissioners asked about bookings at the new Polaris Point Hotel and demographic patterns of visitors. Price said many groups were trying the new hotel and noted it will host the Colorado Governor’s Conference on Tourism in October, bringing about 500 tourism professionals to the property. He said the largest visitor age group was 25 to 34 (34%), followed by 35 to 44 (28%) and 18 to 24 (27%), and that day trips still outnumber overnight stays.

Price also previewed a July Hall of Fame induction event at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum and reiterated Visit Colorado Springs’ interest in balancing visitor growth with residents’ quality-of-life concerns, citing a resident sentiment survey in which 44% of likely voters said tourism policies were important to their vote and 60% said tourism’s positives outweigh negatives.

Price closed by inviting questions and noting ongoing collaboration with the county on marketing and events.