Colorado tourism had a record year in 2007, attracting 28 million overnight visitors who generated $9.8 billion in travel spending in the state, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Colorado Tourism Office.

The report, conducted by research firm Longwoods International, found the number of overnight visitors was up 4 percent from 2006, when 26.9 million came to the state. Colorado's share of national travel rose to 2.5 percent, up from 2.35 percent in 2006. And leisure trips rose to 13.5 million visits - breaking the record set in 1992. Travel spending was up 10 percent from 2006.

The state Legislature's decision to resume funding marketing efforts for tourism in 2000, and then boosting the budget from $5.5 million to $19 million last year, is really paying dividends, said Kim McNulty, director of the Colorado Tourism Office. The number of overnight visitors has climbed from 24.7 million in 2000 to 28 million last year. The budget pays for online, broadcast and print advertising campaigns in key markets such as Boston, Minneapolis, New York, Dallas, San Diego and Phoenix, plus national magazine advertising.

"It's pretty exciting that since 2000 we have been making real gains in attracting more leisure travelers," McNulty said.

The local region also had a record year, said Terry Sullivan, president of Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak. And, he said, it all adds up to some serious dollars.

"The Longwoods Study reveals that well in excess of $26 million per day comes into our state through people visiting the great state of Colorado," Sullivan said.

With gas prices rising and the economy struggling this year, reaching regional and local travelers will make a big difference in 2008, McNulty said.

"I think it's more important than ever that we're in the marketplace and promoting Colorado," she said.

Despite the economy, McNulty expects tourism to hold up well the rest of this year.

"Most destinations around Colorado had a very strong Memorial Day weekend," she said. "We remain optimistic. People are still going to travel. They may alter some of their spending habits while they travel, but they're still going to get out there and explore the state."

Deep winter snows helped attract skiers, with ski trips rising 1.8 percent. The study showed Colorado was the nation's most popular overnight ski destination, attracting 20 percent of all overnight ski trips. That's well ahead of second-place California, which attracted 14 percent of skiers nationally. Overall, Colorado is the nation's 17th most popular tourist destination, but it's in the top five of states tourists would like to visit.

Colorado Springs was the state's second most-popular destination, behind Denver, attracting 11 percent of visitors.

"While Colorado Springs ranks second only to Denver in terms of percent of overnight leisure trips, we are a distant second, so raising awareness of Colorado Springs to those visiting Denver is an opportunity we will continue to explore," said Amy Long, director of marketing and membership for Experience Colorado Springs.

The annual study also measured day travel tourism in the state - that's mostly instate travelers with a smattering from nearby states. According to Longwoods, there were 21.5 million day trips within the state, which accounted for $1.3 billion in travel spending.

The only touch of gray on the state's silver lining was that the length of visitor stays was down slightly, from an average of 4.7 nights to 4.3 nights, and the percentage of tourists from the Midwest was down slightly.

"That's a national trend that we've seen," McNulty said. "Our stays are usually longer than the national average. I think it's just a product of being a time-starved society."

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