Do you think that the legalization of recreational marijuana will make Colorado a big tourist destination? (Denver: lease, credit card)

[JD401]

Originally Posted by Floorist

You can buy pot almost anywhere. Many police depts don't even bother with pot arrests anymore. They use their limited resources for other crimes. I think the tourist backlash with their new gun control laws will shrink tourism more than pot will boost it.

Uh, what?

I'm sure all of the prisoners across the country in jail for minor drug offenses wish you were their lawyer.

[elan]

Originally Posted by Mountainbluebear

I have been seeing a lot of talk about this, and I believe that it will boost much of Colorado's tourism. I know that tourism currently plays a huge role in Colorado's economy, with it's ski resorts and openness.

Could Colorado become the American Amsterdam?

Small bump in tourism at first, then it will level out. There's no place to smoke it, you can't take it home and it's too expensive. Most of the people talking it up are the retail folks, more buzz = more money. I wouldn't wish Amsterdam on anybody, Colorado is better than that.

[otterprods]

I think it will be an additional draw for some people already wanting to come here. But it won't bring in a large net increase on its own. It will have some appeal to people who want to make a vacation out of something they can get anywhere, sort of like wine country. But wine and vineyards have a sort of upscale appeal that pot doesn't and probably won't for a long time if ever.

[cy_flembeck]

Colorado is one of the most isolated states in America. There are very few major population centers within a day's drive.

That will be the major prohibitive factor in seeing any significant tourism increase. Also, many hotels and rental homes are non-smoking. With hotel reviews all over the Internet, a vast majority of them are not going to want to get a reputation of being a smokehouse.

If you keep what you don't use while in CO, you are subject to the laws of the next state once you cross the border I would suspect.

I don't smoke but I am in favor of legalization.

[TrexDigit]

I agree with most that we may see a initial spike flattening out.
As for destinations, ski resorts might see a boost regardless of snow conditions.
Could be a deciding factor for young people when weighed against Utah, Wyoming, Idaho or northern New Mexico.
Beyond that, the novelty of things like 420 Tours probably won't last.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by TrexDigit

I agree with most that we may see a initial spike flattening out.
As for destinations, ski resorts might see a boost regardless of snow conditions.
Could be a deciding factor for young people when weighed against Utah, Wyoming, Idaho or northern New Mexico.
Beyond that, the novelty of things like 420 Tours probably won't last.

Gee, I wonder which tourists the resorts would rather cater to--a bunch of young, broke stoners, or a bunch of affluent Bible Belt parents and their families with five to six figure credit card limits? Don't say both, because the two groups really don't want to be around each other.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Not sure what will happen, but Wall Street is watching this as someone is estimating $578M in annual sales.

I don't see tons of visitors coming here since MJ is so readily available in every community in the nation.

I foresee an initial surge from the newness factor before settling down into a routine biz by the end of 2014.

That's what I'm looking at. The added tax revenue and how that affects Colorado. I have no interest in legal pot otherwise.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Gee, I wonder which tourists the resorts would rather cater to--a bunch of young, broke stoners, or a bunch of affluent Bible Belt parents and their families with five to six figure credit card limits? Don't say both, because the two groups really don't want to be around each other.

That's quite a stereotype. I don't/won't smoke weed, but I know plenty of white collar, 6 figure earners here in Denver who smoke it every now and then. And I have plenty of poor, not-so-bright relatives who live in the Bible Belt.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Floorist

You can buy pot almost anywhere. Many police depts don't even bother with pot arrests anymore. They use their limited resources for other crimes. I think the tourist backlash with their new gun control laws will shrink tourism more than pot will boost it.

They've already reported that hunting in CO is not down at all, so I guess the gun nut boycott of CO didn't work lol!

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by denverian

That's quite a stereotype. I don't/won't smoke weed, but I know plenty of white collar, 6 figure earners here in Denver who smoke it every now and then. And I have plenty of poor, not-so-bright relatives who live in the Bible Belt.

There are certainly those cases. One of the resorts' major business problems is that they are losing family business--the guy that brings his wife and kids to Colorado for a ski or summer vacation. Many middle class families can no longer afford it. One of things that I've learned from some really good marketing people that I've worked with is that you do not want to alienate any of your current customer base when you go after another market segment, especially if you are operating in a mature industry where any new growth in customers is very limited (and that is where the current Colorado tourist industry is). Now, I don't think there are too many family people that really want to take their kids to a place where a drug that is illegal in most of the rest of the country (and still illegal at the federal level) is being freely sold for recreational use. And I don't think that the resorts catering to that family demographic are going to be too keen on marketing to people who would want to use marijuana on their premises. I could easily see it going the other way--where resorts and other tourist establishments absolutely prevent customers from even bringing MJ on their property--something that the business establishment has an absolute right to do. It's their property.