ShareCOS

A select few are fortunate to have been born in Colorado Springs. The rest of us got here as quickly as we could. Maybe you came here on a family vacation and knew you'd be back to live here someday. Maybe you went to college here and never left. Or maybe you were stationed at one of our military bases and decided to make it your place of retirement. Now that you call Colorado Springs your home, it's probably true that you can't help but share this amazing place with your friends and family.

When we share our city with the people we love, we make it a better, more vibrant place to live, work and play. Learn more about the many amazing benefits and things we achieve when we share this place with visitors.

LART (Lodging and Auto Rental Tax)

A funny little acronym with a BIG impact on our community. What is it? In short, this is a tax that visitors pay when they stay at a local lodging property or rent a car. That means it's tax money that our community DOES NOT have to pay, but still enjoys all its benefits! That's right, unless you take a nice stay-cation here in COS where you stay in a hotel, resort or AirBnB, or you rent a car, you will NEVER pay this tax.

Think about a time you went on vacation and checked out of a hotel. Those added taxes on your invoice is a lodging tax. Most destinations' tax range from 11-16%. Our LART? Just 2%! We have one of the lowest LART percentages in the country. But don't let her small percentage fool you - this small amount makes a BIG difference in our community and help fuel our economy. Learn about the ways we use this funding below.

Your college roommate's visit to Colorado Springs helps fund our parks, trails and open spaces. Projects from LART tax include trail maintenance, building new trails and preserving open spaces.

Your bestie's Colorado Springs visit helps employ 20,000 of our friends, family and neighbors. Every time a visitor eats in a restaurant, grabs a beer or visits an attraction, local businesses benefit.

A visit from your aunt helps fund events like the Labor Day Lift Off. With out tax dollars from her visit, these events may not have a future.

The mission of Visit Colorado Springs is to create economic vitality through memorable visits to the wonders of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. The link below provides more information on what we do and why it's important to all of us.