Tourism plays a wide-ranging role in the economic development of cities.
'Travel is essential' is the theme for this year's week celebrating travel and tourism, May 19th to 25th. This year, Visit Longmont and the Longmont Economic Development Partnership are partnering to highlight the economic opportunities that tourism brings to Longmont.
“National Travel and Tourism Week provides us with an opportunity to highlight the travel industry's important role in contributing to economic development and promoting responsible stewardship of our communities,” said Sarah, CEO of Visit Longmont. Leonard stated.
Although it doesn't always feel like it, Longmont supports a strong tourism industry. In 2023, he said, nearly 600,000 visitors visited Longmont. These visitors contributed to her $205 million in direct spending and supported her more than 3,000 jobs in the city.
One of Longmont's major industries is food and beverage. Visitors spend most of their money on local restaurants, breweries, and lodging. Near Rocky Mountain National Park, Longmont also offers access to hiking trails.
Tourism plays a wide-ranging role in the economic development of cities. It often inspires new business owners to relocate to their desired location or build their own business. It can also attract talent to areas that support businesses in the community.
Visit Longmont and the LEDP will expand economic opportunities for tourism business owners and investors and strengthen the region's reputation as a culturally diverse destination that attracts businesses, investors and tourists, according to a Visit Longmont news release. The memorandum of understanding was reportedly signed to raise awareness.
“We thought about how do we recognize what is already successful here and think about what are the opportunities to continue to grow it? This region and state certainly has an emphasis on that. “The Colorado Department of Tourism is working very closely with our economic development partners in the state to emphasize (tourism). We're trying to model that at the local level.” said Erin Fosdick, executive director of LEDP.
Leonard said Visit Longmont hopes to grow Longmont's tourism industry by increasing business-related visitors and increasing tourism during the off-season (usually October through February). That's what it means.
Visit Longmont targets marketing campaigns during off-season periods when Longmont businesses can accommodate increased business while creating economic activity.
“Right now, the main thing we know is that most of the out-of-area and out-of-state visitors are from within the area,” Leonard said.
Visit Longmont is launching a tourism education series through its website and social media platforms. This information explains how tourism benefits local communities.
“We want to increase economic activity and economic returns that benefit the community. I want to see where in Longmont the community can respond, support local businesses and the tax base.” We're looking at things like whether we need more visits to do that,” Leonard said.
