Colorado Springs draws in big tourism numbers during holiday

the southern colorado economy’s getting a big boost from tourists this weekend. krdo newschannel 13’s eric fink is live at garden of the gods park, where thousands stopped to take in the sights. and, eric.. the park’s been drawing in big numbers this weekend. james, our camera was just one of thousands taking pictures of the classic rock formations…. as people from across the globe stepped foot here to mark the beginning of the summer season. laura galliardo is savoring the memory of seeing the kissing camels for the first time. argentina is home … she makes her inaugural visit to the states, taking in this symbolic landmark. oh, i love the rock formations, the red rocks, these colors, it’s attracting me. james harper brought his camera from home in fort myers florida . my son was married saturday, we’re up for the wedding in denver and decided to come down for the day and be a tourist. employees say memorial day is one of the biggest on the calendar at garden of the gods. we’re so excited to host guests from all over the world. we think it’s going to be a great season. we expect over a million people through our doors. stand-up the park says close to 20,000 people checked out garden of the gods this weekend and they’re hoping numbers like that lead to a record breaking summer. for galliardo…the rocks provide the memorable moments, and her stay provides a lesson in culture on a proud, symbolic day. i can see how the local people are enjoying a special weekend and i stay with veterans who are preparing for this day so that gave me a different perspective on how you live this memorial day weekend here. the park gets more than 2 million visitors a year. davis thinks this summer…that number could surpass 3 million. she says gas prices are low enough where lots of families are getting in the car… stopping right here to see those famous kissing camels. live tonight at garden of the gods, eric fink, k-r-d-o newschannel 13. president