Peyton Manning. Legal weed. Dale Chihuly. Elephants and hippos.

These are only a few of the draws that are helping Denver become a bona fide tourist destination — la New Orleans or New York — not just a stopover for mountain-bound tourists.

“In the old days, we were really just a gateway to the beautiful Rocky Mountains,” Richard Scharf, chief of Visit Denver, the city’s 105-year-old convention and visitors bureau, said in advance of a Wednesday report of record tourism visitation and spending last year. “It’s been a good 10 to 15 years of consistent marketing, and we’ve really come out of the shadows and come out as a vacation destination.”

Add the Mile High City’s growing number of hip hotels, chic restaurants, international art exhibits and major redevelopment projects to the metro area’s longtime attractions,such as Red Rocks and the Coors Brewery, and Denver is emerging as a top hot spot for urban vacationers.

A record 14 million overnight visitors spent an all-time high of nearly $4.1 billion in Denver in 2013. That’s a 12 percent increase in spending and a 3 percent increase in overnight visitors over 2012.

The annual Longwoods International visitor survey — commissioned by Visit Denver — showed a strong surge in “marketable” leisure travelers, or visitors who could travel anywhere but specifically chose Denver last year. A record 5.5 million marketing-influenced visitors toured Denver in 2013, a 13 percent increase over 2012.

Denver remains the top tourist destination in Colorado, which saw a 5 percent increase in visitation in 2013, drawing a record 27.1 million visitors. Denver hosted more than half of those visitors. The state’s ski areas last week announced a record 12.6 million skier visits for the 2013-14 season, affirming Colorado’s status as the country’s top ski destination.

Denver has long languished in the shadow of its glamorous mountain resort neighbors, but the recent surge in tourists reveals the city as a stand-alone destination for vacationers.

“I think we’re moving up into a category like Austin, Seattle, Portland — cool cities that offer a combination of great food, party atmosphere, nearby recreation,” Visit Denver spokesman Rich Grant said.

Those coveted marketable vacationers left more cake in their wake in Denver in 2013, spending an average of $113 a day, compared with $68 a day by vacationers visiting friends and family. The city saw a decline in visitors visiting friends and family but an increase in high-rolling business travelers and hotel-staying vacationers.

Group business is up, and those convention attendees are spending big, said Ed Bucholtz, the general manager of the 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, which just completed a $23 million renovation.

“The spend in all categories is up, not just the room rate but food and beverage,” Bucholtz said. “I think nationally the big trend has been the group spend this year. It’s pretty significant. And it seems like Denver is on a roll in the leisure-trend business. I think it’s a combination of the economy getting better and there are more things to do in Denver.”

Countless coffers in Denver filled to record levels in 2013, with annual increases in traveler spending on lodging, dining, shopping, recreation and transportation. Visitors spent $1.2 billion on lodging in Denver, $1.2 billion on transportation and $786 million on food and drink.

The city’s lodging tax from hotels swelled 9 percent in 2013 compared with the previous year. Visit Denver gets 2.75 percent of the lodging tax, meaning there will be more money for tourism promotion in 2014.

Other benefactors of the increased lodging tax include the city’s Scientific and Cultural Facilities District and the Regional Transportation District as well other municipalities that host urban tourists.

Since 2005, when Denver voters approved a doubling of Visit Denver’s tourism marketing budget, the city has seen a 48 percent increase in leisure visitors, Scharf said.

Scharf said the city is seen by potential vacationers as young, active and outdoorsy with plentiful attractions to fill a vacation schedule. Legalized marijuana has boosted the city’s profile across the world, but Scharf said it is a “myth” that cannabis alone is fueling the tourism bounce.

“Denver is seen as a progressive destination,” he said, noting other drivers that are fueling tourism. “We’ve had a great convention year thus far. Obviously the ski industry has done well, and we see a lot of skiers who are spending the day in Denver.”

Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jasonblevins