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With April 20 right around the corner, marijuana tourism is back in the spotlight.
And according to the latest figures from Hotels.com, interest in Denver during the annual cannabis culture celebration continues to rise rapidly.
In 2014, the first year that recreational marijuana use was made legal in Colorado, the state capital saw a 73 percent year-over-year rise in hotel searches for the weekend of April 18-20, which included the Easter holiday in addition to traditional annual events and spring entertainment festivals.
Even despite the fact April 20 falls on a Monday this year, searches for check-ins on Hotels.com for the upcoming weekend of April 17-20, 2015 have risen 60 percent year-over-year.
The significant boost in interest comes in the wake of recent Hotels.com research revealing a notable rise in hotel searches in states in the Pacific Northwest that have legalized the use of marijuana.
But just as TravelPulse's David Cogswell concluded last month, "many other factors besides marijuana legalization may be at work to affect the results." While it's safe to say that the legalization of marijuana hasn't negatively impacted tourism in many places, it's impossible to link the rise in hotel searches in these places directy to the legalization of cannabis.
"No matter your preference for travel to Denver, the city offers endless activities if you'd prefer to avoid 4/20 festivities," said Hotels.com travel expert Taylor L. Cole.
"For example, visitors can stay downtown to catch a game at Coors Field, take a tour of Denver, or they can venture outside the city limits to explore nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge or Golden Gate Canyon State Park," added Cole.
That wide array of attractions has propelled Denver into the top 15 on Hotels.com's list of the most popular domestic destination for Americans.
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