State tourist numbers and expenditures, down for 2008
Whitefish Pilot
Tourist numbers and expenditures in Montana were down more than 6 percent last year, according to the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research.
About 10 million nonresident visitors came to Montana in 2008, which is down 6.4 percent from 2007. Those visitors spent about $3.005 billion in 2008, which is down by 6.2 percent from 2007.
How that money is spent has remained about the same — 28 percent to gasoline and oil, 21 percent to restaurants and bars, 16 percent to retail, 9 percent to lodging and 8 percent to groceries and snacks.
The average group of 2.45 individuals spent about $158 per day and stayed from 4-5 days. The third quarter, July through September, accounted for about 47 percent of total expenditures by nonresident visitors for the year.
The institute’s researchers recently published two additional reports that look at why visitors return to Montana and whether there is a difference between tourists who come in summer and those who come during the shoulder seasons.
Norma Nickerson and Dylan Boyle’s look at tourist behavior found that 71 percent of first-time visits to Montana occurred in either Yellowstone or Glacier national parks. The rest were for business, to visit friends or relatives, just passing through or other specific vacation plans.
Those who visited Yellowstone first tended to focus on the two national parks or other parts of Montana on subsequent visits. But those who came to Glacier first tended to visit Glacier and Yellowstone on their return and generally stayed in Western Montana.
Motives cited by tourists for why they returned included seeing things they missed the first time, showing off Montana to friends and family, engaging in activities better suited for Montana, revisiting the national parks and relaxing in a slower-paced environment.
Nickerson and Boyle said the marketing implications of their study are to use Yellowstone first and Glacier second as a draw for first-time visitors to Montana.
“The age-old concern about promoting Yellowstone, even though it is predominantly located in Wyoming, can be put to rest once and for all,” they said. “Visitors to Yellowstone do come back to visit Montana. While they are more likely to visit Glacier on a subsequent visit than any other location in Montana, they will stretch their visit around the state.”
But Glacier Park is also a draw, they noted.
“Visitors who go to Glacier on their first trip seem to immediately become loyal followers of the Park,” they said.
As a policy implication, Nickerson and Boyle said the state tourist industry should support federal lands because the two national parks account for about 70 percent of nonresident travel to the state.
A study by Nickerson, Christine Oschell and Megan Tanner found that visitors to Montana during spring, summer and fall have similar lifestyles, habits, preferred experiences, values, demographics and travel characteristics.
“Visitors to Glacier National Park want a natural experience in parks as well as a social experience involving friends and family,” they said. “These visitors value parks for the wildlife and natural benefits, as well as valuing them as a place for the public to enjoy.”
Age ranges in travel groups did differ between seasons, with the number of groups with children under-18 decreasing in fall. On the other hand, the number of visitors over-75 increased in the fall.
The most popular activities were camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, nature photography, driving for pleasure, picnicking, attending festivals and visiting historical sites or museums.
The researchers noted that tourists reported visiting a larger number of sites in spring, but that was attributed to the delayed opening of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier Park.