Visit Colorado Springs Highlights a Year of Recovery
Annual Business Meeting recapped 2021 and discussed key focus areas for 2022
Colorado Springs, Colo. – March 18, 2022 – On Wednesday, March 16, Visit COS held its Annual Business Meeting, returning the event to an in-person format for the first time since 2019. The luncheon took place in the Sky Club at Weidner Field.
The meeting kicked off with remarks from Visit COS President & CEO Doug Price, recapping highlights from 2021. The year started off on a high note with Colorado Springs named as #7 Emerging Destination in the World by TripAdvisor. Other successes included Southwest Airlines’ arrival at COS Airport, the openings of The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway and Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center, ribbon cutting ceremonies for Weidner Field and Ed Robson Arena, the return of events and celebrations like the City of Colorado Springs sesquicentennial, the Space Symposium and Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off.
“While it was a year dedicated to recovery, 2021 surpassed many of our expectations,” said Price. “We saw great traffic to VisitCOS.com, good hotel occupancy numbers and record-breaking Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART) revenue. We enjoyed meeting in person once again for our Annual Business Meeting and had a great discussion about tourism as a community value – a theme that will carry us through 2022.”
After the 2021 recap, attendees – comprising Visit COS partners – enjoyed lunch followed by a panel discussion, titled “Championing the Value of Tourism.” Panelists included Doug Price, Tim Wolfe, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office, Megan Leatham, CEO of Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, and Jill Gaebler, Board Chair of PikeRide and a member of the Front Range Passenger Rail Commission. A key focus area for 2022, “tourism as a shared community value” emphasizes the role tourism plays not just for visitors, but also residents and the local business community.
2021 highlights that were discussed at the event can be reviewed in the 2021 Annual Report, available online. Event sponsors included: Pikes Peak Region Attractions (Presenting Sponsor), Colorado Springs Airport (Gold Sponsor), Amnet (Silver Sponsor), Cheyenne Mountain Colorado Springs, A Dolce Resort (Silver Sponsor), Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado (Bronze Sponsor), ADD STAFF (Bronze Sponsor) and Downtown Colorado Springs (Bronze Sponsor).
