Colorado's tourism highs not linked to legal weed

The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) recently announced that Colorado once again set all-time records for total visitors, visitor spending and tax generation in 2015 - and most aren't coming for legal marijuana.

The state welcomed 77.7 million visitors who spent $19.1 billion and generated $1.13 billion in state and local tax revenue. This is the fifth consecutive year the CTO has seen record-setting growth, the CTO said.

Marketable leisure trips - the state’s most valuable travel segment - reached an all-time high of 17.1 million, a six per cent increase over 2014. The state has posted a 31 per cent increase in visitation, nearly double the 16 per cent growth in travel nationally, since the depths of the recession in 2009.

Total direct travel spending in Colorado reached an all-time high of $19.1 billion in 2015, with two-thirds (66 per cent) of that total spent by those who stayed overnight in paid accommodations (hotels, motels, rented condos, campgrounds, RV parks and bed & breakfasts).

The report also raised the question of how legal marijuana influenced Colorado travellers. In keeping with other studies over the past three years, the majority of Colorado’s targeted age of 25+ travellers, a total of 64 per cent, said legal marijuana had no influence on their decision to visit.

Another 14 per cent of travellers said the availability of marijuana negatively influenced their interest in visiting Colorado, while the remaining 23 per cent said the availability of marijuana positively influenced their decision to visit. Overall, only 11 per cent visited a dispensary and just four per cent said the ability to visit a dispensary motivated their trip.

To view the full reports visit industry.colorado.com/research.