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Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Colorado Tourism Office director Timothy Wolfe sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran for one of our most instructive travel industry interviews yet: a look at why the smart way to visit Colorado is also the more sustainable one, from a state that has spent years managing tourism rather than just marketing it.
Tim came to the role in 2021 after a long career in Colorado hospitality, including running Denver's historic Brown Palace, and he was inducted into the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association Hall of Fame in 2015. He now leads a state coming off a record 95.4 million visitors in 2024, and heading into a milestone 2026 that marks both America's 250th anniversary and Colorado's 150th year of statehood.
In this episode, Tim and Michelle discuss:
- Why Colorado has stayed resilient while other destinations feel the international slowdown, from Colorado Friendship Day with Canada and Mexico to deep cross-border ties
- How the Denver airport, with more than 35 international and 200 domestic nonstop routes, makes this a true fly-in destination
- The build-out of greener rail, from the airport-to-Union Station line to the ski train to Winter Park and new Front Range service, so visitors can explore without a car
- Destination stewardship as strategy, and how the Do Colorado Right approach steers travelers from overstressed hot spots toward smaller communities that want the visits
- A new dedicated women's soccer stadium in Denver—the first of its kind.
- What a milestone year means for a state trying to grow tourism responsibly rather than just grow it
This is one in a series of travel industry interviews and tourism experts interviews recorded live at IPW 2026, part of View From Afar's ongoing look at travel trends 2026, sustainable tourism, and the destination management lessons other states are borrowing from Colorado.
The takeaway is simple: visit Colorado, but visit Colorado right, and you get a front-row look at a place widely seen as a stewardship leader, told by one of the hospitality industry leaders shaping what comes next.
Resources
Chapters
0:00 Welcome to Colorado, live from IPW 2:00 Champagne cascades and cattle at the Brown Palace 3:00 A record 95.4 million visitors, and staying resilient 5:00 A fly-in state betting on greener rail 7:30 Do Colorado Right: stewardship without the finger-wagging 10:00 Protecting the parks and preventing overtourism 13:30 A milestone 2026, and what's next
Stay Connected
- Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.
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- Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.
- Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.
- Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked.
This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.
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