Romney urges tourism after Colorado wildfires

Mitt Romney urged Americans to visit Colorado in the aftermath of devastating wildfires that have torn across the Rockies, saying an injection of tourist dollars could help the region get back on its feet.

“People in the immediate community, of course, can bring in canned goods,” Romney said, according to the Washington Post. “But what can people do that are from Boston and New York and Chicago? Well, you can come to Colorado and vacation this summer. Because when you’re in Colorado Springs, a very, very small amount of the area’s been affected by the fire.”

Romney went on to extol the virtues of Colorado as a vacation destination. The Republican presidential hopeful toured a food bank in Colorado Springs and met with families who had suffered from the wildfires.

“It’s devastating to the people who have been affected, but the great majority of the forest product here and the lakes and the beauty of this area remains exactly as it was before and what’s happening is people are staying away because they think the whole area’s been burned out," Romney said. "It’s not. It’s beautiful.”

At a town hall meeting earlier in the day in Grand Junction, Romney introduced J.D. TenNapel, a 15-year-old boy who experienced second-degree burns while warning his neighbors of the coming fires. 

Romney said stories like TenNapel's showed "the greatness of the human spirit" as the fires threatened Colorado towns.

President Obama toured the wildfire damage during a swing through the state late last month. The president promised additional federal aid and met with firefighters and first responders.

"Obviously, as you saw in the some of these subdivisions, the devastation is enormous. And our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have been affected," the president said.

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