Coloradoans Begin to Push Back

Colorado has become infamous for shooting itself in the foot when it comes to Destination Marketing. First it was the State’s decision to discontinue tourism marketing in the 1990s (the predictable results expertly chronicled by Longwood’s International). Then, in 2022, the State legislature opened its Room Tax laws that once required the revenues collected from hotel stays to go to promotion and development of the industry that was collecting the tax to allow the revenue to go pretty much anywhere a municipality deemed appropriate.

Without competitively funded local Destination Marketing, Colorado Tourism has (predictably) flattened over the past couple years. Despite this, several communities, emboldened by the 2022 Legislation, decided it was open season on visitors, with several proposed tax increases targeting the tourism industry in the November election cycle.

And, a funny thing happened. Voters said “no” in a number of those communities. The light bulb has begun to flicker on. Sophistication as to the delicate balance of tourism and quality of life is beginning to be realized in some of these communities.

As a local Arkansas River guide said, “The laziness and apathy of community members to not pay for their own things out of their own pockets is insulting and it’s just plain lazy. If you can’t find ways to pay for what you need in your community and your strategy is to ding people who are passing through, it’s time to look in the mirror and ask some hard questions about passing the buck to other people who are already delivering so much to your community.”

True dat. And congratulations to those Colorado residents who get it.