Empowering Citizen Groups

What do you think is the most effective way for Citizen Groups to come together and brainstorm?
- Meeting online
- Meeting somewhere locally (coffee shop, bookstore, etc.)
- Weekly meetings
- Bi-weekly meetings
- No meetings at all...just keep brainstorming here online


What is the best way to present the "voice" of the Citizen Group to City Officials?

- In the form of letter writing
- In the form of e-mails
- In person

When representing a Citizen Group, what is the best way to identify ourselves?

Letters To The Editor - Requirements and Contact Information

Gazette
Jeff Thomas - Editor & Vice President
30 S. Prospect St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
opinion@gazette.com

To be published: All letters must include the author's full name, address and daytime phone number for verification. No letters from anonymous authors or those using pen names will be considered. Priority will be given to brief letters. Authors are limited to one published letter every six weeks. The Gazette reserves the right to edit submissions for length, taste and clarity. No e-mail attachments, please. All readers' submissions become the exclusive property of The Gazette. BY E-MAIL: Send e-mail to opinion@gazette.com BY MAIL: Send comments to Letters to the Editor c/o The Gazette, P.O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs CO 80901 BY FAX: 636-0202

Colorado Springs Business Journal
Mike Boyd - Editor
31 E. Platte Ave., Ste 300
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
mike.boyd@csbj.com


The Colorado Springs Independent Newsweekly
Ralph Routon - Executive Editor
235 S. Nevada Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
letters@csindy.com

The REAL effects of slashing the public tourism promotion budget from the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau

• Cutting public tourism promotion budget actually results in a significant increase in budget deficits, community hardship and is a self-defeating policy decision.
When funding was cut in the 1990s, the state of Colorado saw a decline of
7.7% of leisure travelers to the state.

Using these numbers, the 23% cut in funding to the Colorado Springs
Convention & Visitors Bureau would likely result in a 1.8% drop in leisure
travelers or approximately 98,000 fewer visitors to the Pikes Peak region.

With the local tourism industry generating over $1.1 billion in travel-
related revenues, this drop in travelers would result in $19.7 million
less in total visitor spending in our region in 2010.

Accommodation spending losses of $3.5 million

Restaurant & Other Food losses of $3.7 million

Retail/Shopping losses of $3.2 million

Transportation spending losses of $4.5 million

Arts, Culture and Entertainment losses of $3.0 million

Colorado Springs would only have to see a loss of 3,000 travelers to completely negate the savings incurred by cutting the CVB budget by $582,000. Even after reinstating tourism funding, destinations often take three or more years to recover to pre-cut travel levels. If budgets cut advertising and communications in a down period, the cost to regain the share of voice in the market once the economy recovers may cost four to five times as much as the cuts saved.

• The local tourism industry employs over 14,000 citizens.
• 25% of the City’s general fund is derived from the spending of non-residents.
• Tourism promotion has a high Return on Investment – for every dollar
invested in tourism promotion, $90 of economic activity is generated.
• Each family saves over $400 in taxes due to the economic activity of non-
residents.