State and local tourism strong in 2014

Preliminary numbers show 2014 was another strong year for tourism in the Treasure State and Whitefish.

Nearly 11 million nonresidents visited Montana and spent more than $3.98 billion last year, according to numbers gathered by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.

Nonresident visitation across the state appeared to be the same or slightly lower than 2013. However, while the number of individual travelers may have dropped slightly, the number of travel groups increased.

Dylan Boyle, executive director of the Whitefish Convention & Visitor Bureau, points to increases in a number of areas as an indicator of 2014 as a strong year for tourism in Whitefish.

“Glacier National Park once again broke their visitation record, as well as, with Whitefish Mountain Resort breaking their single skier day record on Dec. 28,” he said. “It has been a banner year for tourism.”

Boyle notes the increases in both the local resort tax collections and local lodging tax collections as key indicators to the strong year.

Resort tax collections for Whitefish for fiscal year 2015 are up so far. From July through October, collections were up 6 percent. Collections were up by about 8 percent in September and 2 percent in October compared with 2013. Since November 2013 collections have increased every month compared with the same month the previous year.

“We like to see that increase in September, which means our marketing is working,” Boyle said. “A jump in the spring and fall is a nice indicator of our success.”

Lodging tax collections for Whitefish for the first three quarters of 2014 are up over collections for the same period in 2012 and 2013. Collections from July 1 to Sept. 30 last year, increased to $445,000, compared with $431,000 in 2013 and $383,987 in 2012.

“We had huge growth in 2013,” Boyle said. “To see us topping those numbers is great.”

The end of the year seemed to be strong for local businesses, also. Boyle said several business owners told him they were super busy over the Christmas holiday.

One restaurant had its busiest day on New Year’s Day and some lodging establishments noted that travelers extended their stay into the weekend beyond Jan. 1, Boyle added.

He also pointed to numbers that show that during the first three quarters of 2014, there were more than 511,000 visitors who spent at least one night in Whitefish. That compares with the first three quarters of 2013, when about 471,000 people spent at least one night in town.

According to the institute, a survey of business owners this fall found that about 68 percent of all tourism-related businesses saw an increase in visitation or customers for the year. Only 10 percent reported seeing a decrease in customers.

Institute Director Norma Nickerson said several other factors also indicated a good year for tourism at the state level. Nickerson pointed to skier visits, which showed a 6 percent increase over the 2012-13 season, and 6 percent of hotel rooms were sold through November.

Glacier National Park had its busiest year ever in 2014, with more than 2.3 million visitors through November.

According to data collected by the institute, statewide Amtrak ridership dipped in 2014 by 35 percent through the first 10 months of the year. About 95,000 riders passed through Montana stations last year through the month of October, while about 145,00 rode the train in 2013.

Amtrak ridership to the Whitefish station was also down in 2014 through October. About 40,000 riders passed through the depot last year, while some 65,000 riders came through in 2013.

Amtrak ridership may have been hampered by a change to the Empire Builder passenger train service. To deal with high volumes of freight traffic and railroad work on the rout owned by BNSF Railway the train schedule was bumped in April. The schedule is expected to return to its normal schedule on Jan. 12.

Airport deboardings across the state, remained relatively even for last year through the month of November compared with all of 2013. A little more than 1.6 million passenger deboardings were recorded in both years.

However, passenger numbers for deboardings at Glacier Park International Airport were up through November last year. Some 208,0000 passengers passed through the airport in 2014, compared with 197,000 for the full year of 2013.

The institute tracks the spending habits of visitors to the state. The top three areas for spending were on fuel, in restaurants and bars, and on retail sales.

The institute also collects data on who is visiting the state.

Of those surveyed, 59 percent were repeat visitors and about 73 percent traveled the state by automobile. Many — 82 percent — said they plan to return within two years.

The top activities planned while here included, scenic driving, day hiking, nature photography and wildlife watching.

The top two sites visited in the state were Yellowstone National Park with 56 percent and Glacier National Park with 40 percent. Montana State Parks were also popular destinations.

Of visitors who spent one night in Whitefish, 95 percent visited Glacier and 48 percent were repeat visitors.