State marketing effort ups budget

A national marketing and public-relations firm with an office in Northern Colorado plans to boost the state’s competition for tourists.

Following a nearly $14 million increase in its annual budget earlier this year, the Colorado Tourism Office hired Kansas City-based MMG Worldwide to design a new marketing strategy for Colorado tourism.

MMG Worldwide markets exclusively for the travel industry, including cruise lines, rental car companies and resorts. It has offices in Fort Collins, St. Louis, Miami and New York, and employs 140 nationwide.

The boost in the state tourism office’s budget brings it to $19.3 million a year. That’s up from…