Getting a Taste of Colorado

The Canadian travel trade got a Taste of Colorado last night, as travel partners from the Centennial State served up destination updates alongside a selection of regional culinary offerings.

Beer, wine and local specialties were flown in for the event, along with a handful of representatives from Colorado’s food and drink scene who were on hand to serve up beverages and talk about the state’s growing gastronomy reputation. The evening also marked 20 years of Air Canada’s direct service between Toronto and Denver.

Tim Pansini, marketing manager – Americas, Colorado Tourism Office, told PAX that the state’s craft brewing scene now boasts more than 200 breweries creating signature beers, while Colorado’s approximately 100 wineries and 77 distilleries contribute even further to the number of homegrown beverages.

Moving from the beer glass to the dinner plate, Pansini added that similar to other up-and-coming culinary destinations, farm-to-table dining has taken over the Colorado restaurant scene, with a growing number of chefs opting for as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. Selections such as bison sliders and grilled cheese with wildberry ketchup were served up to guests as representatives of what travellers can expect to find on the menus of Colorado’s eateries.

“Their philosophy is local first, regional second and state third,” Pansini explained of the selection process of many chefs.

While exact figures for Canadian travellers to Colorado are unavailable due to the number of visitors travelling by car (many of them snowbirds en route to destinations further south), Mistalynn Meyeraan, marketing and public relations director, Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau, told PAX that Canada remains the state’s number one market for international arrivals.

With winter conditions already reported in the state, Pansini said that the prime ski season runs from U.S. Thanksgiving to Easter, with more than 25 mountain resorts welcoming skiers from around the world. Other winter activities offered include ice-climbing (including one of the world’s largest ice-climbing walls in the town of Ouray), dogsledding and fat biking, which uses bikes with over-sized tires to glide over the snow.

A group of Colorado’s tourism partners sat down with PAX prior to the event for an update on what two of the state’s up-and-coming tourism draws – Grand Junction and Colorado Springs – have to offer travellers.

Grand Junction

Located in Colorado’s wine country, Meyeraan said that with 22 wineries open to the public (offering almost exclusively complimentary tastings), Grand Junction is becoming known as “an affordable alternative to Napa and Sonoma.” In addition to facilitating prime grape-growing conditions, the climate of Colorado’s canyon lands allow for nearly year-round warm-weather activities including golf, contrasting with the state’s reputation as a prime skiing destination (although plenty of ski options are nearby). The region’s terrain is also a major draw for Canadians, including nearby access to four U.S. National Parks, as well as opportunities for activities including hiking, mountain biking and more.

Colorado Springs

The state’s second-largest city by population, Colorado Springs maintains a “small-town atmosphere” while housing some big names said Floy Kennedy, sales manager – tourism, Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau. The city is home to both the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S Olympic Committee (which has inspired a new tagline of ‘America’s Olympic City’),  as well as Pike’s Peak, the second-most visited mountain in the world. Travellers can also get in touch with their wild side at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Centre, and explore the Garden of the Gods, recently voted the top city park in the U.S. by TripAdvisor, Kennedy said.

Agents can get in touch with the two CVBs and the Colorado Tourism Office to learn more about travel draws in the state; visit www.visitgrandjunction.com, www.visitcos.com and www.colorado.gov for more information.

PHOTO: Mistalynn Meyeraan, marketing and public relations director, Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau; Floy Kennedy, sales manager – tourism, Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau; Tim Pansini, marketing manager – Americas, Colorado Tourism Office.