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Montana hotelier sees subtle shifts in tourism industry

September 6, 2005 /

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Bear Paw Development Corporation is a private non-profit organization created for the purpose of administering programs to help improve regional economic conditions in Hill, Blaine, Liberty, Chouteau and Phillips Counties and the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy's Indian Reservations.

The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial bonanza of tourism never appeared this summer – no surprise, said Larry McRae, co-owner of the Grant Creek Inn.

McRae also is chairman of the board of Best Western International Inc. The Grant Creek Inn is a member of the international hotel group.

Tourism has been steady for the summer, McRae said. He likens June, July and August to the harvest months.

Casual skiers and tourists are a nice bottom-line addition, but the mainstay for the Grant Creek Inn is business travel.

That’s not the case for most hotels in Montana, said Norma Nickerson, an economist at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana. Data collected by BBER researchers, generally speaking, indicate nonresident travelers account for more hotel reservations in Montana than any other demographic, she said.

"But he (McRae) knows his hotel, and his Best Western. I wouldn’t argue with him," Nickerson said.

By ROBERT STRUCKMAN of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/09/06/news/local/news04.txt