COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Visit Colorado Springs (Visit COS) has received a 2026 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Colorado Tourism Efforts for its “Pikes Peak Neighborhoods Project,” a marketing campaign designed to encourage visitors to explore communities throughout the region.
The award was presented Sept. 23-25 at the Colorado Governor’s Tourism Conference in Breckenridge. Visit Colorado Springs received the Governor’s Award for Creative Marketing Campaign in the large budget category, which recognizes campaigns with budgets of $60,000 or more.
Visit Colorado Springs used a 2025 Tourism Marketing Grant from the Colorado Tourism Office to develop and execute the campaign. The project combined community research and focus groups with a new interactive map, 25 webpages on VisitCOS.com, and corresponding social media videos highlighting individual neighborhoods.
“We are honored to be recognized for our work on the Pikes Peak Neighborhoods Project,” says Alexea Veneracion, director of communications for Visit COS. “This campaign was truly a labor of love for our community and encourages visitors to explore it in its entirety. We are grateful to the Colorado Tourism Office for the grant funds that made this impactful project come to life.”
The dedicated “Pikes Peak Neighborhoods Project” hub launched in July 2025. Social media videos promoting the neighborhoods subsequently directed users to the website and generated more than 1 million social media engagements, according to Visit COS.
The campaign was also intended to strengthen community identity and encourage visitors to explore areas throughout the region rather than concentrating tourism in a limited number of locations.
The project is available at VisitCOS.com/areas. Information about the 2026 Governor’s Awards for Outstanding Colorado Tourism Efforts is available through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
