Denver Tourism Continues Strong Growth in 2023

News provided by

VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jul 15, 2024, 14:45 ET

Visitor Volume and Spending Continue to Grow, Reaching $10.3 Billion in Revenue and 37.4 Million Domestic Visitors

DENVER, July 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today VISIT DENVER, the City of Denver's official tourism sales and marketing agency, announced that in 2023 Denver welcomed a record 37.4 million domestic visitors, a 3% increase over the previous record set in 2022. This record number of visitors also spent more money in Denver than ever before, generating $10.3 billion in tourism revenue, outpacing last year's record amount of $9.4 billion by almost 10%.

"Tourism is vital to the Denver economy and we are pleased to see our momentum continue in 2023, especially after the dramatic growth we saw in 2022," said Richard W. Scharf, President and CEO of VISIT DENVER. "Denver's tourism businesses, most of which are small and locally owned, rely on these visitors to fuel their success, which allows them to continue to hire employees – almost 66,000 across the metro area in 2023 – and to generate millions in state and local taxes." (Employment figures source: Dean Runyan Associates 2023 Economic Impact of Travel Study)

Overnight visitors totaled 20.5 million, a 3% rise from 2022, generating $8.8 billion in spending, a 10% increase over the prior year. Overnight leisure visitors led growth, rising by 5% over the prior year to a new high of 17.5 million.

Longwoods International provided the Denver visitor data through their annual visitor profile study, which they have conducted for Denver since 1994. Top tourism destinations from around the country and world rely on Longwoods' research and peer-reviewed methodology to provide standardized visitor tracking tools.

"The 2023 study shows that travel trends both in terms of visitor numbers and spending are returning to levels more in line with 2019," said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. "When looked at in relation to other destinations, Denver enjoyed comparably higher growth suggesting that it benefits from its unique position offering visitors both sought-after urban experiences and easy access to outdoor activities."

The study confirmed that Denver is a year-round destination with overnight visitation spread evenly throughout the year, with a modest surge in the warmer months. Denver saw 23% of visitors in Q1, 25% in Q2, 28% in Q3 and 24% in Q4.

The data further showed how crucial Denver International Airport and its air service is for continued strong Denver tourism trends. In 2023, 40% of overnight Denver visitors arrived by plane, nearly twice the national average of 24%. The airport as well as VISIT DENVER's partners at the Colorado Tourism Office are key to Denver's position as both a destination and a gateway to the rest of the state with overnight Denver visitors spending an average of 1.3 nights, or 32% of their trip, in other parts of the Centennial State.

Key Data from 2023

Denver welcomed 37.4 million total visitors in 2023, including 20.5 million overnight visitors and 16 million day visitors.
Overnight leisure visitors totaled 17.5 million in 2023, a 5% increase over 2022.
Denver visitors spent $10.3 billion in 2023, including $8.8 billion from overnight visitors and an additional $1.6 billion in spending from day visitors. Total spending increased by almost 10% over 2022.
Expenditures by overnight visitors averaged $427 per person per trip with year-over-year increases in each tracked category:
- Transportation spending within the destination reached nearly $3 billion, a 10.7% increase from 2022.
- Lodging spending hit $2.5 billion, up 9.1%.
- Restaurant Food and Beverage spend reached nearly $1.5 billion, a 9.7% increase.
- Retail Purchases totaled just over $1 billion, achieving a 7.8% increase.
- Recreation, Sightseeing and Entertainment totaled $749 million, a 9.3% increase.

The top four states originating overnight trips to Denver in 2023, outside of Colorado itself, were:

California
Texas
Kansas
Florida

The top five cities from outside of Colorado sending overnight visitors to Denver in 2023 were:

Los Angeles
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM
New York City
Dallas-Ft. Worth
Houston

*All are VISIT DENVER advertising markets

The top-visited attractions for Denver visitors include a wide range of draws throughout the area.

Shopping & Entertainment:

Cherry Creek area (Shopping Center & neighborhood)
16th Street Mall
"LoDo" Lower Downtown Historic District
Denver Pavilions
Colorado Mills

Arts & Performing Arts:

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
Arts district/art gallery neighborhood
Denver Performing Arts Complex

Paid Museums & Attractions:

Denver Zoo
Children's Museum of Denver
Downtown Aquarium
Colorado State Capitol
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Museum of Nature & Science/Infinity Theater
Coors Brewery
Meow Wolf
Denver Art Museum

Sports Events & Activities:

Denver Broncos football
Colorado Rockies baseball
Denver Nuggets basketball
Colorado Mammoth lacrosse
Colorado Avalanche hockey

All data is from the Longwoods International 2023 Annual Visitor Profile Study unless otherwise noted.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 115 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 37.4 million visitors in 2023, generating $10.3 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city's largest industries. Learn more about Denver at VISIT DENVER or Tourism Pays Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:
Taylor Shields, Director of PR & Communications
Caroline Campbell, PR & Communications Manager
Natalie St.Hilaire, PR & Communications Coordinator
[email protected]

SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau