Local Events Emerge as Key Highlights for 2024 Season
Trevor Phipps
Despite fears of a slowing economy and a slow tourism season, many experts say the Ute Pass region still saw its fair share of traffic throughout the summer.
While tourism and overall visitation didn’t record record-breaking numbers, traffic stayed steady during the entire season.
In fact, traffic ran smoother, compared to previous years, without any major jams and lengthy road closures. In addition, one of the big standout areas was local events and festivals, which drew hefty crowds.
According to Cripple Creek Marketing and Events Director Tracie Bennitt, all of the events in the gambling town saw great turnouts and traffic overall was up. “The other day it was 37 degrees in the cemetery and there were over 80 people that showed up for Mt. Pisgah Speaks,” Bennitt said.
She also said that other traditional events, such as Donkey Derby Days, saw great numbers with tens of thousands of visitors showing up for the several-day festival. Pearl DeVere Day was another big hit, drawing large crowds. Big plans are in the works for making this event better for next year.
Other festivities in town, such as the Music at the Depot series in front of the Cripple Creek District Museum, saw good numbers with their live monthly music performances. The Top of the World Rodeo attracted people from across the country. In addition, the Teller County Fair packed their fairgrounds with their new stands and spectator area.
This summer was also the first season in which the new Chamonix Hotel and Casino was open for business. Bennitt said that the lodging numbers have increased due to the city now having more lodging options with more than 300 more hotel rooms added to the town.
Another hit over the summer that seemed to attract people to the region were the “History Talks” held at the Cripple Creek Heritage Center during a number of weekends throughout the season. “All of the events going on at the heritage center have helped to bring people into town,” Bennitt said.
The marketing director said that she expects tourism to stay strong through the fall season and then into the winter. She speculated that this year could be an even better winter season for tourism with the Ice Castles and Ice Festival returning with plans to expand. (See related story)
Local Tourism Experts Say Area Didn’t Hit Any Visitation Records
According to an article published online by KOAA News 5, the Pikes Peak region as a whole (mainly Colorado Springs) did see record-breaking tourism numbers for the summer of 2024. But unfortunately, this reported flow of record traffic didn’t infiltrate Teller County. Many business leaders in the Ute Pass region have said that they didn’t see the traffic and visitors they have in years past.
“What I’m hearing from lodging and attraction businesses was that it was a steady summer,” said Debbie Miller, president of the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce. “We didn’t break any records, but it wasn’t in the tank either.”
One thing Miller and others noticed was that people from other areas of the country were coming to Teller County due to the heat spells taking place in the Mid-West and Southern states. Even though the region saw quite a warm year, some were pleased to experience 80-to-90-degree temperatures versus triple digits.
She said that for events hosted by Woodland Park, the area didn’t see any more people than they have in the past. She said that most business owners she spoke with had good attendance during local events, but they weren’t record-breaking numbers.
“When you look at where inflation has been and you look at the fact that this is a presidential election year, we are not outside of the norms of what those types of years have done in the past,” Miller said.
She also said that there were an abnormally large amount of passports issued this year nationwide. “People are traveling overseas, and they are doing it because they finally can,” Miller said. “COVID changed everything, but now that they can they are definitely doing international travel. So, I think that may have had a bit of an effect on us as well.”
She said that in the past during presidential election years, tourism locally has slowed down. People always seem to be more guarded and cautious to spend money due to the uncertainty of the upcoming election.
But with the recent drop in interest rates, the chamber of commerce president said she is hopeful that inflation will decrease, and local business will experience a rebound. She believes that local tourism and visitation will spike, following the 2024 election.
