Colorado finds success in the power of its partnership with Canada

Timothy Wolfe, President of the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is in Canada this week delivering a message to the travel trade here about the power of partnership and how the partnership between Colorado and Canada has played a positive role in the performance of the state’s tourism industry in 2025.

And while the headlines of the past year – with all that’s been going on – have been a bit unsettling, Wolfe said that “what’s really unique is that Colorado and our partnership with Canada continues to be very strong. We haven’t seen any change in demand coming into Colorado [from Canada].”

Andrea Blankenship, Deputy Director International Tourism for the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) reinforced Wolfe’s point, telling Travel Press Today that the latest figures from Denver International Airport show that flights from Canada are actually up by 1%.

“We’ve been really fortunate as a destination as we’ve kept all of our flights between Denver International Airport and Canada,” Blankenship said, although she did say that inbound demand was down by 3% in 2025 versus 2024.

“But,” she continued, “if you see what’s happening in the rest of the U.S. – we really are an air-only market — I would say that means that we’re really, really holding our own.”

Wolfe and Blankenship, along with the CTO’s Julie Dufault and a trio of the CTO’s partners – Katy Schneider from Visit Fort Collins; Jessica Russel from Visit Estes Park; and Dallas Carlson from Armstrong Collective (known as Rocky Mountaineer in Canada and Canyon Spirit in the U.S.) – were also here to let the trade know that 2026 was going to be a big year for Colorado as it celebrates its 150th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, Colorado is rolling out a range of special events and activities including drone shows across the state called Stories in the Sky, festivals, immersive arts and cultural experiences, and a whole lot more.

Colorado, Wolfe said, “has a unique history, so we’re going to tell that with our Stories in the Sky, but there’s so many cultural experiences that are happening around the state that talk about our history – where we were, where we are now and where we’d like to go.”

As for Wolfe’s point about the importance of partnerships, Colorado Governor Jared Polis certainly demonstrated that in March of 2025 when he declared Colorado Friendship Day and flew the U.S. and Canadian flags together at the state legislature and that message of friendship is returning in 2026 as Colorado continues to send its message of welcome to Canadians.

Looking ahead in 2026, it’s pretty clear that the CTO is going to continue along the same path, delivering its message that it’s welcoming to all and that it’s a destination where you can ‘be who you are.’

Stay tuned, there will be more to come from Colorado …

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