The city of Durango came out on top against other Colorado locales as the No. 1 most loved destination in the state for the second year in a row, based on data from the Tourism Sentiment Index, software that gauges social media conversations and online publications to rank locations on their favorability.
Visit Durango, the area tourism office, subscribes to the Tourism Sentiment Index to track how the city fares in the minds of visitors across the country and around the world. The index uses artificial intelligence to collect and help analyze sources of online content posted about participating destinations, Visit Durango said in a news release.
Rachel Brown, executive director of Visit Durango, said in the release the tourism office is “beyond thrilled” to be recognized as Colorado’s top destination for two years in a row.
“This accreditation is no small feat and is due largely to our passionate local business owners and attractions,” she says. “They have helped to create a destination that is loved and welcoming to visitors and residents alike.”
The tourism office announced last week that not only did Durango rank first in Colorado destinations, but it ranked as the No. 15 most loved destination in the United States and No. 67 worldwide out of 21,330 participating locations, with an overall sentiment score of 25.77, according to the Tourism Sentiment Index. The index identified “accommodation” to be Durango’s top asset.
The scores are based on a scale of negative 100 to positive 100, said Rachel Welsh, spokeswoman for Visit Durango.
The city scored lower in 2022 than it did the prior year when it received a sentiment score of 28, according to data from the Tourism Sentiment Index. And, while a countrywide rank of No. 15 might be impressive, the city actually classed better in 2021 with a domestic destination rank of No. 7. The city’s global rank also fell from No. 36 in 2021 to No. 67 last year.
The Republic of Maldives in Southeast Asia ranked as the No. 1 most loved destination in the world in 2022 with a sentiment score of 40.26. Its beaches were identified as its best assets.
cburney@durangoherald.com
