DENVER — A record number of people aren't just falling in love with Colorado, record numbers of people are also visiting the state.
The City of Denver announced Wednesday it hit 31.5 million visitors in 2016, a record that topped 2015 numbers. According to City of Denver officials, this is the 11th consecutive year in a row that saw a record shattered.
"This is a milestone year marking the first time Denver surpassed 30 million total visitors and the 11th consecutive year that we have generated record tourism numbers," Richard Scharf, president and CEO of VISIT DENVER, said.
According to numbers obtained by the Longwoods International in an annual visitor profile study, those visitors are spending billions in Colorado, including over $1 billion on food and drink, $1.5 billion on lodging and $1.5 billion on transportation each year. Retail purchases racked up to about $660 million and visits to tourist attractions added up to $476 million.
The top states sending visitors to Colorado included California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, New York, Kansas, Arizona, Ohio, Oregon and Virginia.
To learn what those visitors were paying to visit,check out a gallery of the top paid tourist attractions in 2016 here.
