AEROTROPOLIS ON THE HORIZON: Amid tourism's surge and an increasingly global economy, DIA might be the center of the Denver area's next business district.

• Author: Siebrase, Jamie
• Position: TRAVEL/TOURISM

Denver International Airport is Colorado's largest economic engine, generating more than $26 billion annually for the state. Population-wise, Denver is the 19th largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. --but it has one of the busiest airports in the country. In 2016, 58.3 million travelers landed at DIA. "It was a milestone year," says Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver.

That milestone exposed a big change in Colorado tourism trends. Denver voters approved an increase of tourism marketing dollars in 2005; since then, local tourism has grown at nearly three times the pace of the national average: 62 percent for Denver, compared with 22 percent nationally. Travelers used to fly to DIA in the winter for ski trips; now, people come to experience the city of Denver and its neighboring counties.

Development around DIA has been "a powerful example of public infrastructure says Randy Thelen, VP of economic development at the Downtown Denver Partnership. While Denver's 2017 tourism figures won't be available until June, statistics from the previous year show that Denver welcomed 31.5 million total visitors in 2016, including 14.2 million day visitors and 17.3 million overnight visitors.

Overnight visitors surpassed 2015 totals by nearly 1 million, a 6 percent year-over-year increase--and 2016 travelers also spent 5 percent more than they did in 2015, establishing a tourism revenue record for Denver of $5.3 billion. More than $1.5 billion was spent on lodging, and another $1.5 billion was shelled out for gas, car rentals and other local transportation purchases. Tourists purchased more than $1 billion worth of food and drinks, and spending at retail stores hit $660 million.

Like it or not, Denver is an internationally known city, a place where people from across the globe want to come to work and play. In an effort to leverage Denver's biggest asset--its airport--city planners from five counties are joining forces to advance Denver Mayor Michael Hancock's campaign promise for "Aerotropolis."

* MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

Twenty-five miles northeast of downtown Denver, DIA is a natural metropolis expansion zone for the city of Denver. But don't think of Aerotropolis as a new downtown. Think of it as another Denver Tech Center--"an important piece of our economic ecosystem," says Evan Dreyer, Hancock's deputy chief of staff.

Hancock's original concept was "Airport City," which referred to commercial development on DIA grounds. "We...