Pikes Peak Region Tourism Held Strong in 2025

Data shows visitation and spending both increased slightly over 2024

May 28, 2026 – Colorado Springs, Colo. – Today, Visit Colorado Springs released findings from the 2025 Longwoods International Travel USA Visitor Profile Study, showing visitation and visitor spending both increased compared to 2024 – visitation by 0.3% and spending by 0.4%.

Total visitation was 25.6M, and visitor spending was $3.1B, which both surpassed 2024’s record numbers.

“We’re pleased to see our visitation and visitor spending numbers have increased slightly year over year,” said Doug Price, President & CEO of Visit COS. “2025 was an unpredictable year with factors including rising costs, unstable political climate, government shutdown and decreased international visitation to the U.S. To see our visitation stay on par with our record 2024 numbers is a huge testament to the strength of our local tourism industry and community.”

The Longwoods findings for the Pikes Peak Region are similar to the patterns seen on a national scale, which saw flat visitation numbers for both day trips and overnight.

Key findings and analysis from the 2025 Longwoods data for the Pikes Peak Region include:

  • There were 11.2M overnight visitors, a 1.6% increase over 2024. This increase is on track with the destination goal to attract more overnight visitors who contribute more to the local economy than day visitors.
  • Overnight visitors spent more on food/beverage, retail and recreation/entertainment in 2025 than they did in 2024 (all of these categories were up by 3-5% from 2024).
  • Seasonality breakdown of visitation was nearly identical to that of 2024.
    • 21% visited in winter (up from 20%)
    • 26% visited in spring (no change)
    • 31% visited in summer (up from 30%)
    • 23% visited in fall (down from 24%)
  • 26% of overnight visitors traveled with their pets, indicating that pet-friendly accommodations and activities are likely of interest.
  • 24% of overnight visitors traveled alone, indicating that more solo travel support information could be of interest.
  • 23% of overnight visitors had a member of their travel party who required accessibility services. Of these visitors, 55% had a mobility disability, 38% visual, 32% cognitive, 22% hearing and 8% other.
  • 24% of overnight visitors participated in business activities during their trip.
  • 30% of overnight visitors marked their main purpose of trip as visiting family and friends (down from 33% in 2024); 17% marked their main purpose as “outdoors,” up from 14% in 2024, and 17% marked their main purpose as “touring,” up from 15% in 2024.
  • Average length of stay for overnight visitors was 2.6 nights (down from 2.7 nights in 2024).
  • Our most popular types of overnight travelers were:
    • 18% budget-friendly traveler
    • 16% outdoors/adventure seekers
    • 13% family traveler with kids
    • 11% cultural heritage/history seeker
    • 10% luxury traveler

“From the 2025 findings, we were glad to see how a quarter of our visitors to the region are interested in the topics of pet-friendly travel, solo travel, accessible travel and business-related travel,” said Alexea Veneracion, Director of Communications at Visit COS. “We’re working on more content and campaigns for these groups. They are huge target audiences for us and likely to be visitors who will plan longer stays and drive more economic impact for the region.”

The Longwoods Travel USA Visitor Profile survey is valuable to Visit COS because it helps the organization better understand domestic visitors to Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. The results reveal travel and behavior trends over time and help the team track performance against goals in the Destination Master Plan. The information also improves the organization’s understanding of how the destination compares to U.S. norms. Visit COS uses the information to make informed marketing, advertising and organizational decisions for future promotional campaigns as well as communication and advocacy efforts.

To learn more about the impact of tourism in the Pikes Peak Region, go to VisitCOS.com.

About Longwoods International
Established in 1978 as a market research consultancy, Longwoods International has grown into a respected leader within the travel and tourism industry. With offices in Toronto, Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Wisconsin, Longwoods conducts strategic market research for public- and private-sector clients throughout North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim.

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.

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