Colorado Tourism Office pumps up its numbers; new minority 'recovery' director

FTS staff writer Rachel Boxer talks about two recent stories posted to FTS this week: The Colorado Tourism Office is taking criticism for pumping up its performance statistics after two Colorado economists torpedo their methodology. And the Governor's office has hired a new director to steer Stimulus Act dollars to minority firms, renewing the debate over race preferences.

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Economists question state's alleged 13:1 return on tourism spending

A Face the State Staff Report

June 16, 2009

The Colorado Tourism Office touts a 13 to 1 return on investment for the its $10+ million marketing budget, leading local economists to question how the state could even arrive at such a statistic.

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Segment 2 - A union-backed challenger to Ritter? Plus: Where does all the tourism $ go?

FTS staff writer Rachel Boxer has details on two stories posted to Face The State this week: Union interests have been shopping around for a challenger to primary Gov. Bill Ritter in 2010, but so far three Democrats have turned down the offer. Plus, is there any accountability for the over $10 million in state money spent every year to promote tourism?

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CO tourism office not measuring results of marketing effort

A Face the State Staff Report

June 10, 2009

A report released by the Office of the State Auditor criticizes the Colorado Tourism Office for not setting more measurable goals for managing its budget, which includes $10.5 million annually for domestic advertising. The audit suggested the tourism office should "clearly stipulate its expectations" and "increase efforts to include outcome measures in contracts."

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