Visit Longmont highlights tourism this week

Visit Longmont, the community’s organization for providing visitor information and promoting travel, is joining the U.S. Travel Association and other destinations from around the country to highlight economic and quality of life messages about the tourism industry.

Last year, Longmont saw 1.45 million visitors on trips and almost 4.4 million days, up 8.3% from the previous year, according to a release from Visit Longmont.

“Travel and tourism creates economic activity for a community and supports the success of other industries,” Visit Longmont Executive Director Sarah Leonard said. “A strong travel sector drives small business growth, creates jobs as well as strengthens Longmont’s culture and identity.”

National Travel and Tourism Week marks its 40th anniversary this year, which is May 7-13 in 2023.

“Longmont visitors are spending on average three days in and around the community, frequenting restaurants and breweries, gift stores, cultural attractions and other events, all the while generating revenue for businesses,” Leonard said. “Visitor spending helps keep businesses open year-round benefiting residents too.”

Visit Longmont is recognizing travel’s essential contributions by sharing social media messages throughout the week and encouraging residents to share images from Longmont about why they love to travel by submitting photos at www.visitlongmont.org/media/submit-photos or tagging #VisitLongmont, #TravelForward, and #VisitColorado.

“Longmont tourism businesses are not only recovering from the challenging years of the pandemic, travel-related businesses are also helping drive economic activity,” Leonard said.