Denver A Main Attraction At International Travel Show
By Tori Mason
DENVER (CBS4)- For the first time since 1991, Denver is hosting the IPW, considered the Super Bowl of international travel business.
Nearly 6,000 international tourism delegates and journalists from 70 nations are at the Colorado Convention Center this week. They're learning about other countries while soaking in everything Denver has to offer.
"I came here for the previous IPW event and that was in 1991. Denver was a great town then, but now it has blown me away. There's so much to do, so much to see," said Peter Ellegard, a travel journalist from the United Kingdom.
Ellegard, along within several other journalists, will write about their time in host cities for potential visitors in their home countries to read.
The exposure Denver gets from being an IPW host city will generate nearly a million new international visitors and $1.7 billion in tourism revenue over the next three years.
Colorado isn't struggling with tourism, but attracting more visitors will benefit the people who live here full time.
"These tourists come, they spend their money, and they leave. They pay taxes. They create jobs. In fact, if you took out tourism in the state of Colorado, these households would have to spend $500 more in taxes just to have the same benefits that the tourists pay," said Richard Scharf, Visit Denver CEO.
IPW continues at the Colorado Convention Center through Wednesday. This is the 50th year for the IPW.
Tori Mason is an award-winning reporter for CBS4 This Morning. Follow her on Twitter @ToriMasonTV.