16 Jul 2024
DENVER (July 15, 2024) – Today VISIT DENVER, the City of Denver’s official tourism sales and marketing agency, announced that in 2023 Denver welcomed a record 37.4 million domestic visitors, a 3% increase over the previous record set in 2022. This record number of visitors also spent more money in Denver than ever before, generating $10.3 billion in tourism revenue, outpacing last year’s record amount of $9.4 billion by almost 10%.
“Tourism is vital to the Denver economy and we are pleased to see our momentum continue in 2023, especially after the dramatic growth we saw in 2022,” said Richard W. Scharf, President and CEO of VISIT DENVER. "Denver’s tourism businesses, most of which are small and locally owned, rely on these visitors to fuel their success, which allows them to continue to hire employees – almost 74,000 across the metro area in 2023 – and to generate millions in state and local taxes.” (Employment figures source: Dean Runyan Associates 2023 Economic Impact of Travel Study)
Overnight visitors totaled 20.5 million, a 3% rise from 2022, generating $8.8 billion in spending, a 10% increase over the prior year. Overnight leisure visitors led growth, rising by 5% over the prior year to a new high of 17.5 million.
Longwoods International provided the Denver visitor data through their annual visitor profile study, which they have conducted for Denver since 1994. Top tourism destinations from around the country and world rely on Longwoods’ research and peer-reviewed methodology to provide standardized visitor tracking tools.
“The 2023 study shows that travel trends both in terms of visitor numbers and spending are returning to levels more in line with 2019,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “When looked at in relation to other destinations, Denver enjoyed comparably higher growth suggesting that it benefits from its unique position offering visitors both sought-after urban experiences and easy access to outdoor activities.”
The study confirmed that Denver is a year-round destination with overnight visitation spread evenly throughout the year, with a modest surge in the warmer months. Denver saw 23% of visitors in Q1, 25% in Q2, 28% in Q3 and 24% in Q4.
The data further showed how crucial Denver International Airport and its air service is for continued strong Denver tourism trends. In 2023, 40% of overnight Denver visitors arrived by plane, nearly twice the national average of 24%. The airport as well as VISIT DENVER’s partners at the Colorado Tourism Office are key to Denver’s position as both a destination and a gateway to the rest of the state with overnight Denver visitors spending an average of 1.3 nights, or 32% of their trip, in other parts of the Centennial State.
Key Data from 2023
- Denver welcomed 37.4 million total visitors in 2023, including 20.5 million overnight visitors and 16 million day visitors.
- Overnight leisure visitors totaled 17.5 million in 2023, a 5% increase over 2022.
- Denver visitors spent $10.3 billion in 2023, including $8.8 billion from overnight visitors and an additional $1.6 billion in spending from day visitors. Total spending increased by almost 10% over 2022.
- Expenditures by overnight visitors averaged $427 per person per trip with year-over-year increases in each tracked category:
- Transportation spending within the destination reached nearly $3 billion, a 10.7% increase from 2022.
- Lodging spending hit $2.5 billion, up 9.1%.
- Restaurant Food and Beverage spend reached nearly $1.5 billon, a 9.7% increase.
- Retail Purchases totaled just over $1 billion, achieving a 7.8% increase.
- Recreation, Sightseeing and Entertainment totaled $749 million, a 9.3% increase.
The top four states originating overnight trips to Denver in 2023, outside of Colorado itself, were:
- California
- Texas
- Kansas
- Florida
The top five cities from outside of Colorado sending overnight visitors to Denver in 2023 were:
- Los Angeles
- Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM
- New York City
- Dallas-Ft. Worth
- Houston
*All are VISIT DENVER advertising markets
The top-visited attractions for Denver visitors include a wide range of draws throughout the area.
Shopping & Entertainment:
- Cherry Creek area (Shopping Center & neighborhood)
- 16th Street Mall
- “LoDo” Lower Downtown Historic District
- Denver Pavilions
- Colorado Mills
Arts & Performing Arts:
- Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
- Arts district/art gallery neighborhood
- Denver Performing Arts Complex
Paid Museums & Attractions:
- Denver Zoo
- Children’s Museum of Denver
- Downtown Aquarium
- Colorado State Capitol
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science/Infinity Theater
- Coors Brewery
- Meow Wolf
- Denver Art Museum
Sports Events & Activities:
- Denver Broncos football
- Colorado Rockies baseball
- Denver Nuggets basketball
- Colorado Mammoth lacrosse
- Colorado Avalanche hockey
All data is from the Longwoods International 2023 Annual Visitor Profile Study unless otherwise noted.
About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 115 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 37.4 million visitors in 2023, generating $10.3 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city’s largest industries. Learn more about Denver at VISIT DENVER or Tourism Pays Denver. Follow Denver’s social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Taylor Shields, Director of PR & Communications
Caroline Campbell, PR & Communications Manager
Natalie St.Hilaire, PR & Communications Coordinator
