Colorado is more than mountains - bizjournals:

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But during the two recessions that havehit since, tourisjm leaders have watched people get more frugalp with travel dollars, and learned a little about their habits. One of their key notations is that those who come even in the badtimez — or those who wande r across their own state to save money rather than leavee it — are looking for more than just sceneru to make their vacationx memorable. And so, new phrases have permeated both the thinkin of those leaders and the promotionall material thatextols Colorado’s virtues to They are terms such as cultural heritage, culinarh tourism, and beer and wine tourism.
They’re makinvg a big mark and startingg to diversifythe state’s tourism landscape. “I the early days, if it didn’t involvw snow or whitewater, it wasn’rt really tourism,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the . “Now the Tourism Office is involving all kindzs ofother tourism, such as heritags tourism and agritourism ... Most people just thinkk about coming to Coloradooto ski. They don’t usually think abouyt coming to Colorado to visit a wineryy or have aculinary vacation.
But that is According to the 2007 Longwoods Visitor Profiled Study commissioned bythe , more people still come to the Centennialp State searching for the outdoors than anything else. Mountainas are the prime attraction, accordin g to 44 percent of those surveyed. lakes and the natural environment all ranked in thetop 10. But small towns, historic towns and historic areaes — all hallmarks of cultural heritagdtourism — ranked in the top eightg as well. Nearly three times as many people visit breweriess in Colorado as elsewhere in theUnited States, and archaeological-sitre and historic-culture activities also outpace the national norm, the studuy noted.
As such, statde officials who flew recentlyto Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles to talk to travel writere led the discussions with mountains, then shifted to othed highlights, said Kim McNulty, director, Colorado Tourism Officew (CTO). Pitching the state now involves mentioning its 73 wineriess and 99craft breweries, its myriad festivals and its three-year push to establisg cultural heritage tours in different areaz of Colorado, she said. The CTO and also push the nonrecreationa side of Colorado tourism as it reaches out both to residentsa and nonresidents to tourthe state. Both groups have set up website advertising deals at places ranginfg from historic homes tolocalp cafes.
“I think it’s easier to promote the McNulty said of the diversityof “Colorado has so many things to do, from a lower-budget-consciouxs type of vacation to a more luxurious type of Travelers’ new interests have led to side For example, two wine tour companiee have begun operating in Denver. Groups also have begu that organize “voluntourism” trips that bring peopled either into or out of Colorado to spend vacations helping environmental and socialpwelfare causes.
The growth of choicea also has meant that tourism officials are advertising Coloradko in new places to try to hook specific Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for Visit said the local convention and visitors bureau is reaching out more to Hispanicc travelers, and to gay and lesbianh travelers, both viewed as growing tourist segments. Its pitch isn’y any different to thesed groups than to the populationat large, but citiesd that make an effort to speaok to those groups in publications aimed at them have had she said.
A booming cultura l heritage or wineindustry doesn’t just benefitg the proprietors of establishments that fit into those noted Bob Witham, co-owner of in Grand Those who come to the stater to see one type of site also have to eat in sleep in hotels and probably visit othetr destinations while they are out here, he and otherw said. “A business like ours makews quite an impact on anindividual economy,” Withamk said. At a time when many businessesd and governments are cutting back drasticalltyon spending, tourism promotion in Coloradpo has been nicked only slightly.
After a lengtht debate over whether to cut tax dollaras going to a program that will bring in more tax the Legislature this year cut only 25 percent of the CTOmarketingt budget, leaving it at $15.67 million, McNulty noted. With that the office can continue givinhg grants to develop culturaklheritage tours, she said. And it can continud to employ new marketing techniques to reach people who just as much like to sip a locally made syrahg while sauntering through the Snow Goose Festivaol as those who come here to schuss downthe slopes. “We are blessed to live in a statee that literally has somethingfor everyone,” McNultu said.