Despite soaring gas prices and a crashing economy, visitors kept coming to our fair state in 2008, according to a study released Thursday by Longwoods International.

The study found 50.6 million people visited the state in 2008, up 2 percent from 2007. Those visitors spent slightly less, however - $10.9 billion in 2008 compared to $11.1 billion in 2007.

As usual, Colorado was the nation’s top destination for skiers, attracting 18.3 percent of all trips within the United States. The state’s ranking among all travelers dipped, however, from 2.5 percent of all overnight trips in 2007 to 2.4 percent in 2008.

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