
Tourism Pays for Denver
Destination marketing brings millions to Denver and billions into our economy.
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Destination marketing brings millions to Denver and billions into our economy.
A healthy tourism economy is built and supported by Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) such as Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau, that use a portion of the local Lodger's Tax and private membership dollars to market Denver as a visitors' destination.
Denver visitors stimulate the local economy and benefit hotels, meeting facilities, attractions, restaurants, art and cultural institutions, tour companies, transportation providers, local farmers and countless other businesses. Tourism also offers many benefits for Denver residents and improves quality of life for the community.
According to Longwoods International, in 2024, Denver welcomed 37.1 million visitors, generating $10.3 billion in tourism revenue, on par with the previous record in 2023.
The tourism industry is a major source of employment in Denver and the surrounding metro area. In 2024:
In 2019, Visit Denver commissioned Oxford Economics to create a cost-benefit analysis to quantitatively assess the net effect of tourism on the local community. Findings from the Economic Impact of Tourism in Denver 2019 were used to measure the positive impacts of tourism on the City of Denver's finances. The report findings indicated that local governments accrued $589 million as the result of visitor activity in Denver.
Sources: Dean Runyan Associates, Colorado Travel Impacts 2024; Longwoods International, Travel Year 2024; census.gov; Oxford Economics 2019 Economic Impact of Tourism
Why a Peach Farmer Cares About Tourism
Business and leisure travelers to Denver are having a positive financial impact locally. Meet some of the business owners and industry professionals who make their living and create jobs through the power of tourism.