Visit Colorado Springs Charts True North at Annual Business Meeting

Tourism community reflects on 2024 industry accomplishments and the year to come

Colorado Springs, Colo. – March 14, 2025 – Yesterday, VCOS held its Annual Business Meeting with the theme “Charting Our True North.” The luncheon took place at the newly opened Hotel Polaris at the U.S. Air Force Academy, with the hotel serving as the presenting sponsor.

The Annual Business Meeting provides VCOS partners and community leaders with a recap of the previous year’s work and a look forward at the year ahead. In addition to VCOS President & CEO Doug Price, guest speakers included: Megan Leatham, President & CEO of Colorado Springs Sports Corp; Curtis Bova, General Manager at Hotel Polaris; Lisa Neener, Chief of Visitor Experience and STEM Outreach at the U.S. Air Force Academy; Nick Ragain, Former President and current Strategic Advisor of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC; and Will Hodgson, President of Venu Holding Corporation.

"Our Annual Business Meeting provides an exciting opportunity to come together and reflect on the past year,” said VCOS President & CEO Doug Price. “The Colorado Springs hospitality and tourism industry is a tight-knit community that is dedicated to driving economic impact and improving residents’ quality of life in our region.”

Speakers reflected on key topics like the upcoming opening of the Hosmer Visitor Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Ford Amphitheater’s first full concert season kicking off and an exciting new future for the 2024 USL Champions – the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Key highlights from the 2024 tourism recap included–

  • We welcomed 24.8 million visitors to the Pikes Peak Region who spent more than $2.9 billion (2023 Longwoods International data).
  • Ford Amphitheater and Hotel Polaris, both pivotal projects on the northern end of Colorado Springs, opened successfully.
  • The Colorado Springs Airport saw a 5% increase in enplanements at nearly 1.2 million for the year.
  • 2024 saw a strong recovery in international travel, with the World Tourism Organization showing nearly the same amount of international travel as in 2019.
  • After 27 years, VCOS VP of Sales Kathy Reak retired in December 2024. VCOS welcomed Lee Reijgers as the new VP of Sales.
  • VCOS purchased its building at 515 S Cascade in order to guarantee a future of a centrally located Visitor Information Center.

In 2025, VCOS staff and board will update the organization’s Destination Master Plan, implement a new AI chat and trip-planning bot, gain access to new attribution data and roll out a neighborhoods and areas digital resource and campaign on VisitCOS.com.

Additional highlights that were discussed at the event can be reviewed in the 2024 Annual Report, available online. Event sponsors included: Hotel Polaris, Pikes Peak Region Attractions, The Broadmoor, The Colorado Springs Airport, Adventures Out West, Pikes Peak Lodging Association, Colorado Springs Sports Corp, Ent Business Banking, The Broadmoor World Arena, CSI DMC, Rocky Mountain Food Tours and the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association.

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About Visit Colorado Springs
Visit Colorado Springs is the leading marketing organization for group and leisure travel and tourism to the Colorado Springs – Olympic City USA and the Pikes Peak Region. The organization is dedicated to a strong national and international presence so that tourism is a primary contributor to a thriving local economy. We create economic vitality through memorable visits to the wonders of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region.#VisitCOS on Facebook//Instagram//YouTube//Blog