COLORADO SPRINGS — Though final numbers aren’t expected until next month, early reports indicate this summer was a record-breaking sizzle for Pikes Peak regional tourism.
2024 was bolstered by special events like the Paris Summer Olympics (every four years) or the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show (every two years), but large crowds still came to the area for annual affairs.
“We're a city that relies very much on sales tax. As visitors come in, they're spending money in our restaurants and hotels, in our shops and galleries,” said Doug Price, president and CEO of Visit COS, the city’s tourism office. “And we do know from research that the sales tax that gets collected from visitors saves the average family of four almost $1,000 a year on their tax bill.”
Overall, Price said tourism brings in about $2.9 billion a year in visitor spending, which is a big boon for the Pike Peak region’s small businesses, he added.
Price said the summer began strong with what he referred to as “record-breaking attendance” at Territory Days in Old Colorado City over Memorial Day Weekend.
Fan Fest for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb drew 35,000 people downtown and another 7,000 to the mountain for the race.
The Paris Olympics brought thousands of people back downtown to the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum for events throughout July.
Despite the controversy surrounding the heat and lack of amenities, the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show, which showcased the popular Blue Angels, sold 15,000 tickets over its two days. According to Price, 70% of those tickets were from outside of Colorado Springs.
And finally, unofficially capping off summer, the Labor Day Liftoff had close to 200,000 people across all five events, Price said.
For all of the larger events in the Pikes Peak region, Price said great weather through the summer played a huge role in their success.
Earlier this year, Southwest launched a new direct route from Colorado Springs Airport (COS) to Baltimore. It’s a flight that benefits the national security community in Colorado Springs and access to the nation’s capital.
Price said, thanks in large part to that new route, airport traffic is up almost 9% over last summer.
“They've got load factors of almost 85%,” he said. “So I hope that our residents will look at getting to the East Coast now is a lot easier with that Southwest flight to Baltimore.”
Final figures from the Lodgers and Auto Rental Tax (LART), which is a good measure and indicator of full tourism numbers, are expected in mid-October.
Meantime, Price expects a strong fall tourism season due to leaf peeping and home games for the Air Force football team.
Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow @brettforrestTVon X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
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