New state funding brightens state’s tourism prospects

The Colorado Legislature’s plan to put together a new tourism office brings new hope to those in the industry who, since the 1992 election when Colorado voters eliminated the federal tourism tax, have scrambled for out-of-state business.
Gary St. Clair, owner of the Peck House in Empire, said he was glad to see the state would again begin to promote itself. He said the Peck House saw an immediate drop in the number of out-of-state visitors after the tax was eliminated. The customers that would have been attracted to Colorado by national marketing didn’t make it to the Peck House door.
“We’ve (in the last few years) spent double what we used to for marketing,” he said. “I don’t think the government should be involved in regional tourism, but I do think it is necessary to market the state.” St. Clair said that in the last few years he’s looked for local promotions from Clear Creek County’s tourism board. “Some years the county does great. Other years they don’t.”
St. Clair pointed to television advertising for the states of Montana and South Dakota that, “makes it like there is something available there for everyone” as an example of what he thinks Colorado should be doing.
Mary Ann Mahoney, public relations director for the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, agrees that the lack of statewide promotional efforts has hurt business.
“The first part is getting people to the state,” she said. “We need to get people to start thinking of Colorado as a vacation destination once again.” Mahoney, who is also a board member for Boulder’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, said slow hotel bookings in the last few years can be linked to the weak state promotion.
Colorado lost an estimated 30 percent of domestic market share when the two tenths of 1 percent visitor tax was discontinued, according to a group of state tourism leaders promoting the new tourism office. The group, made of representatives of the lodging, restaurant, skiing and tourism associations as well as several state legislators, presented recommendations to the Legislature in November.
Stan Zemler, president and chief executive of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, said the presentation indicated that the new tourism office won’t be “reinventing the wheel.” Plans are to use previous slogans, themes and logos such as “Look At What You’re Missing.”
The state tourism leaders’ recommendations were requested by the Legislature when it created a $6 million line item for tourism for 1999-2000. Additional funding for the upcoming year will come from the Colorado Travel and Tourism Authority (CTTA). The CTTA will provide $1.4 million by July 1, 2000.
The reorganization of Colorado’s new tourism office will involve eliminating the CTTA, a four-person office and independent body, and the Colorado Tourism Board (CTB).
Ted Sullivan, executive director of the CTTA, said even though the new tourism office eventually will put him out of a job, he’s glad to see the change.
“It’s been hard to have two state authorized boards with governor’s appointees,” he said. “It’s kind of like if Boulder had two city councils.” He said on many projects, the CTB acted as adviser or partner of the CTTA. The CTTA also contracted to the CTB. “Some of the things were done cooperatively, but there were a lot of folks involved.”
Sullivan said he will continue to be involved with legislative efforts as a board member for the Tourism Industry Association of Colorado.
Colorado tourism may have a lot of friends, like Sullivan, but it still doesn’t have a lot of money.
Even with the new office, state funding for tourism will only be a fraction of what it was before the tax was withdrawn. Before 1992, the state had about $10 million in the annual tourism promotion budget. Colorado ranked 10th among state travel office budgets. In the last few years, Colorado has ranked 49th or 50th in state tourism funding.
The $6 million will put rank Colorado at about No. 38, according to the report from the state tourist leaders. Average state spending for tourism budgets is $10.8 million, but for Colorado to return to it’s previous ranking, the state would have to spend $18 million a year.
Plans are to introduce the bill in the legislative session that begins in January. State Sens. Elsie Lacy, R-Aurora, and Gigi Dennis, R-Pueblo, and state Rep. Jack Taylor, R-Steamboat Springs, will introduce the bill, according to reports.