Press Release (VisitCOS.com)

Earlier this month, the Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau held its annual business meeting at Great Wolf Lodge. The event, like 2016’s tourism year, saw record attendance. Speakers included Cathy Ritter, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office, Andy Neinas, CVB Board Chair, as well as Doug Price, CVB President & CEO.
 

Price recapped the remarkable tourism numbers for 2016, including 7.4 million overnight visitors to the Pikes Peak region. “Our region has seen a 32 percent increase in the number of travelers coming to the destination since 2011, with the main purpose of visiting friends and family.” Price expressed excitement regarding the groundbreaking of the U.S. Olympic Museum slated for June 9. “Two years ago, at our annual business meeting, we were given a sneak peek of the renderings for the Olympic Museum and now, it’s almost here.” The City’s Olympic City USA brand resonated with attendees and was punctuated by appearances by Stephen Garbett and Veronica Day, both competing to make the Olympic skeleton teams for the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
 
Keynote speak, Colorado Tourism Office Director Cathy Ritter, showcased the CTO’s new Colorado Tourism Roadmap highlighting the hidden and lesser-known gems around the state. “It only makes sense that the group here today will be the first to see the CTO Roadmap video as 20 listening sessions opened dialogue for the results of the roadmap also started here.” Ritter discussed the state’s main competitors and strategy moving forward. She touched on the fact that the Pikes Peak region lags in the number of hotel and lodging rooms compared to Denver and the mountain resort towns, and that the region’s tourism promotion budget is underfunded.
 
Price closed the event discussing current CVB initiatives such as the new Crafts + Drafts beverage passport that is supported by a CTO grant, a new mobile-first VisitCOS.com that launched in February as well as the continuous sales, marketing, PR and social media efforts that take place to market the destination year-round.
 
Sponsors ENT Business Banking, Presidential Worldwide Transportation, Hotel Eleganté and Great Wolf Lodge all helped make the event possible.
 
The 2016 CVB Stakeholder’s Report can be downloaded here.
 
The Colorado Tourism Office Roadmap video can be viewed and downloaded here.
 
The Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the leading marketing organization for group and leisure travel and tourism to the Colorado Springs region. The organization is dedicated to a strong national and international presence so that tourism is a primary contributor to a thriving local economy. The CVB mission is to bring more visitors to Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak.