The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on tourism statewide in 2020, but that wasn’t the case in Fremont County.
Numbers actually were up an average of 6% across the Royal Gorge Region when it came to travel spending, tourism employment and local and state tax revenue.
Ashlee Sack, the chair of the Fremont County Tourism Council, said travel spending in Fremont County in 2019 was $72.9 million, compared to $77.2 million in 2020 – a 6% increase. Tourism employment was 920 in 2019 compared to 970 in 2020 – a 5% increase. State and local tax revenue in Fremont County was $4.8 million in 2019 compared to 5.2 million in 2020 – an 8% increase
Statewide, comparing 2020 to 2019, travel spending was down 36%, tourism employment was down 21% and tax revenue was down 29%.
Communities that did see an uptick in tourism-related numbers in 2020 were those that had a river flowing through it.
“They knew they could be outside, out on the trail,” said Beth Katchmar, vice-chair of the FCTC, during the City of Cañon City’s General Government meeting Wednesday. “That’s where they wanted to be.”
That’s even more of a reason for Cañon City to continue to invest in the river corridor, Sack said.
In Fremont County, the average daily spending by visitors is nearly $200,000 and one in 10 jobs is in tourism. Sack said about $4.8 million is collected in taxes each year, which saves local households about $280 annually in property taxes.
“We need to recognize that (visitors) are helping us live in a community that enjoys lower property taxes than most areas,” she said.
During a 10-year period, there has been a 99% increase in the 2% lodging tax in Fremont County. In 2020, about $230,000 was collected from local hotels, vacation rentals and other similar overnight entities.
Fremont County collects the lodging tax and the FCTC then is charged with distributing those dollars for marketing. Five percent also is dispersed to marketing grants for local nonprofits and businesses that host events that will bring people to the area for overnight stays.
The 2% lodging tax was the maximum allowed by state statute when in 2017, voters rejected a Local Marketing District proposal, which is allowed by statute. This would have allowed Cañon City to have a voter-approved higher lodging tax. The city asked for a 3% increase in the lodging tax paid by visitors, which was expected to raise about $300,000, which the city would have matched to create a total budget of $600,000 annually.
The issue lost by 180 votes with 51.94% against and 48.06% in favor of the increase.
Katchmar said there is a new way to get more lodging tax without putting it on a ballot or going through a marketing district and it could take effect here as early as next year. She cited Fort Collins’ new initiative as an example.
“It would be a tax on lodging and potentially on some of the bigger attractions – it would be a targeted kind of thing,” she said. “We are looking at increasing a 5% tax for everybody, which would take us up to the amount where we would double the amount we have for the current budget.”
Currently, lodging tax can only be used for marketing the area, but there are discussions about potentially changing that. If that happens, those dollars could help fund a visitor center or public restroom downtown.
There also are a few new initiatives that FCTC is working on. Marketing the region as a recreational destination is always the goal for the FCTC, but there’s a new push this year to focus on shoulder seasons – spring and fall.
Their website, https://royalgorgeregion.com/, now features an “Off Season? It’s On.” campaign that focuses on off-season tourism.
“It is a very interactive site,” Sack said. “It also suggests itineraries – people really want to know the insider’s view.”
The website can help with any level of adventure from walking the riverwalk to visiting the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park.
“They are overnight itineraries,” Sack said. “They are not ‘come to a few things and leave,’ they are ‘spend a few days and enjoy these things at your leisure.’”
The next new initiative is “Keep it Gorgeous.” It’s a campaign that promotes responsible use of outdoor recreation with the “Leave No Trace” messaging. Grant dollars helped to pay for swag items that can be found throughout local businesses in the next few weeks. After signing the online pledge, participants may pick up a free water bottle at the Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance at 424 Main St. while supplies last.
The final initiative is future grant-funded audio tours by TravelStorys that can be used by downloading an app on a smartphone.
“When you are researching your destination, you can check out these audio stories with some information and hopefully want to discover more about that region,” Sack said. “This is a very well-known app. It’s free for individuals to use, but it is expensive to get on there.”
For more information, visit https://royalgorgeregion.com/.
