Visitors spent a record $10.3 billion in Denver in 2023, according to a new report from a travel consulting company.
That’s a 9.6 percent jump from the prior year, data from Longwoods International shows.
Overnight trips accounted for a little bit more than half of total visits and for nearly $9 billion of total spending.
Who's coming to Denver? A lot of other Coloradans
Coloradans accounted for 31 percent of overnight trips to the state’s capital.
Meanwhile, Californians and Texans each accounted for 9 percent, followed by Kansans and Floridians at 3 percent. Overnight trips were more skewed towards locals in 2023.
The previous year, Coloradans made up 24 percent of overnight stays in Denver. A vast majority of overnight visitors had been to Denver before.
The report doesn’t include international visitation.
What's in the budget for Denver tourism?
Transportation, which includes things like rental cars, ate up 34 percent of travelers' budgets, while lodging accounted for 29 percent.
Annually, transportation costs rose more than any other travel expense in Denver, according to the report.
Overnight visitors in Denver are more likely to use rental cars and taxis to get around the city compared to other U.S. destinations.
DIA brings a ton of traffic through Denver.
About 40 percent of overnight travelers to Denver arrive by plane. The norm throughout the U.S. is 24 percent of visitors arriving by plane.
