From the upcoming reopening of Hanging Lake to an incoming luxury train, there is a lot on the horizon for the tourism industry in Glenwood Springs. One of the biggest highlights for the upcoming tourism season in Glenwood Springs is the fame – this is the Rocky Mountaineer.

The Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury train that runs from Denver to Moab, begins August 15, 2021 and runs through November 19, according to Lisa Langer, director of tourism promotion and Visit Glenwood.

“We are looking forward to a really strong year. The Rocky Mountaineer will be one of the highlights for 2021. We get a lot of advertising. This really took us to another stage of travel, ”said Langer.

“It’s going to be a nice thing for Glenwood Springs. People will come here; You won’t have much time in town, but you will get a taste of Glenwood Springs and hopefully come back. “

The drivers travel from Denver to Moab and spend the night in Glenwood Springs.

In April, Frontier Airlines highlighted the city for its use of renewable energy.

Langer said the airline wanted to give way to a trip to a green city.

“The Colorado Tourist Office contacted me and said you were interested in this promotion. It won’t cost us anything, ”said Langer.

The city’s Glenwood Gold campaign has also been hugely successful, Langer said.

Langer said the campaign started before the fire at Grizzly Creek but restarted after the fire, noting that a major media broadcaster shaped the campaign as a city hit by both COVID and large wildlife ” literal comeback ”.

“It went viral on the FOX News network,” added Langer, noting that the FOX article was reaching international customers.

This has helped the city to realize a positive increase in the accommodation tax in cash, ”said Langer. “Without this campaign, we would not have made it. The rest of our tax revenue has decreased. “

Langer excitedly reported to the city council on Thursday that Glenwood Springs is the only parish with its own Giphy account. To see the original gifs of the city, head over to Glenwood Springs’ official Giphy account at https://giphy.com/visitglenwood/.

The city also successfully completed the Motherload Giveaway, which awarded 10 people $ 100 certificates.

“We did this to see when the winner would spend the Glenwood Gold. If they haven’t used it within the year, we can send a reminder email, ”Langer said in an email.

One winner is from California and has a family in Denver while another lives in Florida with a daughter who works in Glenwood Springs.

Langer said the winners from Texas and New Mexico have been here before and plan to visit this year. Another winner was from Pennsylvania and has never been to Glenwood Springs but said his family were very excited about the opportunity.

“The others were from Colorado, so I think these are more likely in the short term,” Langer said.

Last but not least, Hanging Lake is expected to reopen on May 1st. The permits will go on sale online April 1st https://visitglenwood.com/hanginglake/.

Langer said she conducted multiple interviews when it was known that Hanging Lake was untouched by the Grizzle Creek Fire.

“It was a miracle that in a very unfortunate year was good news for the visitors. The miracle received strong coverage from front range outlets, magazines, the Colorado Tourism Office, local newspapers and even several overseas media, “Langer said.

smarvel@postindependent.com