Colorado Office Of Tourism

The Colorado Office of Tourism (CTO) was established by the Colorado State Legislature in July 2000 and replaces both the Colorado Tourism Board and the Colorado Travel and Tourism Authority. The CTO Board of Directors consists of 15 members. Four of the members are legislators, and the other eleven members are appointed by the Governor of the state. The appointees represent various segments of the travel and tourism industry-tourism-related retail industry; destination marketing organization; cultural events and facility groups; outdoor recreation industries; ski industry; hotel, motel and lodging industry; private travel attractions and casinos; food, beverage, and restaurant industry; and tourism-related transportation industry. The Office of Economic Development and International Trade is responsible for the administrative oversight of CTO. Among its primary duties, CTO is responsible for the oversight of eight Welcome Centers, located at major highway gateways to the state. CTO also administers funds it receives from state and private partners for advertising and public relations. The advertising and public relations functions are actually contracted out. There are several facets of customer response services that are handled by CTO. They include promotional materials, maintenance of the official state travel website (www.colorado.com), the 1-800-COLORADO telephone information center, and the publication and distribution of the Colorado Official State Vacation Guide. The website is especially impressive. The welcome message on the homepage does a great job of selling the state from different perspectives, so that hunters, thrill seekers, sophisticated shoppers, and history and culture buffs all feel invited. The easy pull-down menus with all of the "right" categories to avoid a lot of "frequently-asked questions" (FAQs), lead you to photographs and information to make your visit to Colorado sooner and easier to plan. The state needs to stay abreast of trends and impacts of Colorado travel and tourism, so CTO board sponsors research those trends and their economic impact on the state. Some sponsors are The Center for business and Economic Forecasting, Inc., a private research firm that specializes in Colorado regional economic forecasting; RRC Associates, a multi-disciplinary market research and strategic consulting firm for public and private clients nationwide; and Dean Runyan Associates, economic and market research specialists in travel, tourism, and recreation, consulting with public and private sector clients nationwide. So, when you get the urge to experience Colorado's hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, Native American sites, cultural treasures, national parks, forests and monuments, or enjoy the vibrant metropolitan life, use the resources available through the Colorado Tourism Office.

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