Posted 09.01.2010

State of the state: tourism

King Tut filling the house at Denver Art Museum

By Maria Cote

Some would say that a mere exhibit at a museum would never draw crowds into a city. To that, Cathey McClain Finlon, president of the Denver Art Museum, would simply say, "Tut, Tut."

The Denver Art Museum's "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs," is drawing those crowds by the thousands, not only from Colorado, but from around the country.
"Our objectives are being exceeded," Finlon says. "We're getting tourists flying into the region. And people from every walk of life - moms, grandmas, children - are loving it."

The exhibit, which runs through Jan. 9, 2011, features more than 100 treasures from ancient Egypt. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibit will go toward a new museum in Cairo, as well as antiquities preservation and conservation in Egypt.

Artifacts from temples and tombs have been drawing the masses since the exhibit opened on June 29, Finlon says. It was organized by the National Geographic Society, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions.

"I went through it first with my husband, and it just gives you goose bumps," Finlon says. "There you are looking at artifacts that are thousands of years old and often perfectly preserved."
Partnering with Visit Denver, King Soopers and several hotels has ensured that the exhibition will stay strong through the year.

Rich Grant, director of communications for Visit Denver, says the King Tut exhibit alone has boosted Denver's economy, but it's not the only draw.

"But we've had an amazing summer," he says. "We have the Moore in the Gardens exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Body Worlds at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, a great concert lineup at Red Rocks, and the Rockies are doing well.

"It's almost a DNC level of excitement that we have," Grant says. "I've been here for 30 years, and I've never seen such a summer. From the fireworks at Civic Center Park, to the DAM exhibit, I'd say in relation to the rest of the country, we're doing well."

Visit Denver, a nonprofit organization that contracts with the city to market Denver as a great destination, has tracked some numbers. There's been an increase in hotel room rentals, as well as rates.

"And we have the beer fest coming up," Grant says, referring to the Great American Beer Festival coming to Denver this month. "It's going to be hard to find a room."

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