Record number of visitors to Denver in 2016

In 2016, Denver set a new tourism record with the amount of visitors and total tourism revenue, according to a study released by Visit Denver and Longwoods International, a tourism research firm. The city of Denver saw more than 31.5 million visitors last year and generated $5.3 million in total revenue.

The study conducted research by estimating visitor volume and expenditures and gained intel through a survey that 3,056 Denver visitors completed, including a follow-up that was completed by 1,838 visitors.

Ever since Denver voters approved an increase in lodging tax in 2005, the tourism market has grown three times as fast as the national average — 62 percent increase in Denver versus 22 percent increase nationally. Last year, visitors who stayed at least one night spent five percent more money than they did in 2015, getting Denver to that $5.3 million in revenue.

The study found that there was a difference in the types of overnight trips and split them into three categories: marketable leisure trips (47 percent), business trips (9 percent), and visits to friends/relatives (44 percent).