Restrictions that have strangled Colorado’s economy for the last six weeks are slowly being loosened, and lodgers are itching to open their doors to cooped-up tourists.

But state tourism officials believe it will be months before recreational travel returns to normal levels. And Gov. Jared Polis included pleas for out-of-state-tourists to stay away from Colorado during his address on Monday, saying, “We’re not ready,” and emphasizing a 10-mile limit on travel for recreation for Coloradans...