Colorado Tourism Hits Record $29.2 Billion in 2025 But Growth Slows

Colorado tourism generated a record $29.2 billion in 2025, according to annual research from Dean Runyan Associates and Longwoods International that the Colorado Tourism Office released on July 28. For mountain towns, the record arrives with a warning attached. Statewide spending grew just 2%, less than half the national rate of 4.2%, and some resort destinations have reported seasonal visitation declines of up to 40% as low snowfall and nearby wildfires reshaped travel patterns.

It is easy to see why Colorado pulls in the crowds it does. 4 national parks, 11 national forests and 9 national monuments, and one of the strongest state park systems (43 in total) in the West give the state a lot to work with. In 2025, 96.8 million visitors made the trip, up 1.4% from 95.4 million the year before.

• Related: Colorado Ski Visitation Plummets to Lowest Levels Since 1991 Following Historic Warm Winter

The Record in Detail

The $29.2 billion figure represents a 2% increase over the $28.5 billion travelers spent in 2024. After accounting for inflation, real growth came in around 1.7%, which the Colorado Tourism Office notes is meaningful. It indicates travelers actually purchased more goods and services rather than simply paying higher prices for the same trip.

Tourism directly supported 187,860 jobs across the state in 2025. That number is down 0.6% from the prior year, though workers’ earnings moved in the opposite direction, rising 1.6% to $10.5 billion. Travel also generated $1.91 billion in state and local tax revenue, an increase of 1.9%.

Denver and its surrounding metro area remained the state’s largest travel economy by a wide margin at roughly $14.2 billion, or 48.5% of all travel spending in Colorado. Overnight visitors stayed an average of 3.3 nights, and outdoor/entertainment activities topped the list of what they came to do, followed by cultural and sporting activities.

One number worth mentioning for anyone in the hospitality business. 22% of travel parties included a member who required accessibility services, notably above the national norm of 17%.

Where the Growth Went

Here is the part that complicates the record. U.S. travel spending grew by 4.2% in 2025, more than double Colorado’s 2% increase. The state’s numbers look similar to peer destinations like California, which posted 1.7% growth, but the national average pulled away from both. Colorado’s share of the national travel market has been sliding for years, dropping from a high of 2.3% in 2019 to 1.79% in 2025.

That is a six-year trend, and it predates any single bad snow year.

“Colorado is the best place to live, work, play and visit,” said Governor Polis in the announcement. “Welcoming over 96 million visitors in 2025, Colorado’s thriving tourism industry supports our local economies, fosters adventures, and provides every Coloradan and visitors to experience all that our great state has to offer.”

Eve Lieberman, Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, framed the year as proof of durability. “With over 96 million visitors, Colorado’s tourism industry proved its resilience in 2025,” she said, pointing to a continued focus on strategies that support economic mobility for residents.

What This Means for Ski Country

The statewide averages hide a lot of variation, and mountain resort communities are on the wrong end of it.

The Colorado Tourism Office reports that 2026 numbers show communities across the state seeing visitation fluctuations tied to weather, specifically lower-than-average snowfall and the proximity of wildfires. Some destinations, mountain resort towns among them, have experienced seasonal visitation declines approaching 40%.

The scale of that winter is now on the record. Looking back to June, Colorado skier visits fell roughly 24% to an estimated 10.5 million in 2025-26, down about 3.3 million from the prior season and the lowest statewide turnout since 1991-92.

That is a serious number for a town where a single season funds the year.

“While the statewide numbers are encouraging, we also recognize that destinations across Colorado are experiencing different challenges, from increased competition to weather-related impacts,” said Timothy Wolfe, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office. “We remain committed to working alongside our partners to help communities adapt while continuing to inspire the world to explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully.”

The Takeaway

One low-snow winter does not establish a pattern. A market share that has shrunk across six straight years comes closer. Colorado set a record in 2025 and still grew slower than the country around it, which means the competitive pressure is real regardless of what the snowpack does next.

Colorado will get an early read on the weather half of that equation. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center now gives better than a 90% chance of a very strong El Niño through the winter of 2026/2027, and that pattern has a well-documented shape in Colorado. An El Niño tends to favor the southern Rocky Mountains and the terrain near and east of the Continental Divide. Wolf Creek, Telluride, Silverton, Purgatory, Eldora, Winter Park, and Loveland sit in the storm path most likely to benefit. The signal is far murkier for Steamboat, Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge, Copper, Keystone, and Crested Butte, where forecasters see no clear lean in either direction.

Will a strong El Niño turn things around for Colorado? For part of the state, potentially. And whether one solid winter in the San Juans is enough to move a $29.2 billion number, or to slow a market share that started sliding in 2019, is the question worth watching.

Southern Colorado has the better odds this year. Everyone else may want to start their snow dances early!

• Related: The 2026-27 El Niño Ski Season Could Be the Biggest in Decades