Travel and recreation: visitors attracted to open space, wildlife, and character.

• Author: Nickerson, Norma P.

It is safe to say that the reasons we all live in and love Montana are the same reasons that 3.4 million people choose to vacation in Montana each year--and why Montanans host nearly 2 million friends and family members who sleep in their spare bedrooms.

For years, data from UM's Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) has shown that nonresidents visiting Montana in the summer months are attracted to the two national parks, mountains, forests, open space, and uncrowded areas. Scenic driving, wildlife watching, nature photography, day hiking, and camping are the top five activities for nonresident vacationers. Two-thirds of overnight vacations are spent in the Glacier Country or Yellowstone Country travel regions. Almost half of the vacationers reside in the 11 western U.S states or in the two western Canadian provinces, and 90 percent of nonresident summer visitors drive into the state.

In the winter months, nearly half of all vacationers to Montana are here to ski or snowboard. Unlike summer months, 48 percent of nonresident skiers fly rather than drive into the state. The downhill ski industry provides a combined $83 million to the state. Nonresidents represent 35 percent of skiers at Montana's ski areas. In addition to summer and winter activities, many people come to Montana to take a trip with an outfitter and guide. In 2005, 319,000 people took guided trips, and only 10 percent were from Montana.

While the combined economic impact of guided trips in 2005 was $167 million, $83 million was from nonresidents who came to Montana solely for the guided trip.

A recent ITRR study showed that certain attributes of Montana were important to nonresidents when visiting: clean waterways, clean air, wildlife viewing opportunities, scenic vistas, open space, an opportunity to view the night sky, and access to public lands and waterways (Table 1). Visitors were quite satisfied with the amount of open space, scenic driving opportunities, the "character" of Montana, the condition of the natural environment, wildlife viewing opportunities, a feeling of being welcomed, and the stewardship of the land (Table 2).

Common sense suggests that Montana residents, along with the tourism industry, should strive to maintain the open spaces, public land access, wildlife, and so forth. For the most part, Montana residents and tourism industry business owners agree with the priorities of the tourism industry, albeit in a different order. Survey results indicate that the top priority for the industry was to "help maintain Montana's destination appeal," but residents rated it sixth out of seven listed priorities. Residents' top priority was for the industry to hire local people, but tourism business owners rated it fourth out of seven priorities. However...