Overview: Tourism is important to Montana. And it’s not just important to the people who come to visit, but also for the folks that live and work in our great state. For many Montanans, tourism is the lifeline for their business and community. But don’t take our word for it. To hear about the type of impact tourism has across the state, listen to what these Montana locals have to say.
Share Your Story
What does tourism mean to you? Join your voice with others across Montana and tell us why tourism is important.
“The bottom line is if it weren’t for tourism, we would not be in business. Tourism brings money into our state and into our community. As a direct result of tourism, we employ more than 85 people in the summer and had a payroll of more than $500,000 in the first nine months of 2010. That’s what tourism is about—providing good paying jobs.”
Sally Thompson – Co-owner, Glacier Raft Company
“The tourists give you the extra bump in your business. If we can hire more people and put more people to work, the effect of it goes way deeper than just our company having a successful business.”
Bob Powell – Co-owner, Montana Club
“Tourism has a huge impact on our hotel’s success as well as the success of our area businesses. In a largely seasonal market such as ours, without the marketing support and dollars directed to attract tourists, we really cannot compete regionally to create the awareness needed to bring the tourism dollars here. The impact of losing this funding would be very negative and possibly devastating to many local businesses in the Flathead Valley.”
Sherri Gerek – National Sales Manager, Hilton Garden Inn Kalispell
“Glacier Park, Inc. was thrilled with the increased visitation and resulting reservations in the lodges and hotels inside Glacier National Park and Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier. Glacier’s Centennial celebrations—combined with marketing efforts of local, regional and state tourism organizations—have set the stage for 2010 to be a banner year for visitation in and around Glacier National Park. Without the collaborative efforts between private tourism businesses and bed-tax funded organizations in the state, Montana’s tourism industry cannot and will not be able to sustain this level of market share to guarantee increases levels of visitation in the future. Tourism is a growing and thriving industry, employing Montana residents with livable wages. Plus, it’s an industry that attracts high value, low impact visitors to the state enhancing the authenticity of place, flora, fauna, culture and geology. Our fear is that if the existing model of Montana’s bed tax funding is modified or taken away, the tourism industry will not thrive, but instead will wither.”
Alicia Thompson – Director of Marketing & Business Relations, Glacier Park, Inc.