State takes new direction in tourism plan

The state on Wednesday released a fresh five-year plan for boosting tourism in Montana by appealing to a new breed of traveler that is older and looking for weekend getaways filled with activities instead of long vaca tions for sightseeing.

By Bob Anez of The Associated Press

The proposal also calls for more cooperation among state agencies in promoting Montana’s second-largest industry, no longer leaving most of the work to the Commerce Department’s tourism office.

Mark Simonich, department director, and Kathy Brown, chairwoman of the Tourism Advisory Council, outlined the new strategy after presenting a summary of the plan to Gov. Judy Martz.

Martz assured them and other members of the council that she will oppose efforts to divert money from the state accommodations tax that finances government tourism promotion efforts.

The plan, a year in the making, recognizes the changing face of tourists and recommends adapting to that change, Brown said. “ We’ve evolved from, `Throw every one in the station wagon and come to Montana.””

The popularity of “ week end trips” lasting no more than five days has ballooned to account for 54 percent of all U.S. travel, and women make three of four travel decisions, the plan noted.

Those women want “ crea ture comforts” as part of their travel and favor allinclusive trip packages that can be obtained with one phone call or on the Internet, according to the research.

Other trends recognized in the plan include the fact that 80 percent of leisure travel ers are older than 50 years of age, historical and cultural sites are big favorites, travel ers like organized events and activities on their schedule, and shopping is the No. 1 pastime for tourists.

Brown said the plan sug gests a greater emphasis on offering visitors package deals for their trips that go beyond trying to appeal to those who will come to Montana to see the scenery. The packages would offer a series of specif ic activities, such as rodeos, festivals and hiking.

“ These people want to do things,” Brown said of the target audience.

The plan counts on help from a variety of tourism allies, including the depart ments of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Transportation; and Agriculture; American Indian tribes, local governments, chambers of commerce and the university system.

Simonich said the state’s spending on tourism promo tion has lagged recently when compared to other states that have stepped up their efforts to lure travelers.

Montana was ranked 49th in tourism spending before it started the accom modations tax to finance the effort, he said. The state rose to 18th after that, but has since fallen to 34th in the country as surrounding states with similar attractions have intensified their programs, Simonich said.

“ We need to find those things that make Montana unique,” he said.

For example, Brown said Montana can promote its skiing as comparable to that in other states, but without the long lift lines. Simonich said Montana can highlight its cultural and historic attractions to take advan tage of the growing interest in that field.

His department got about $8.3 million last year from bed tax, with the remaining $3 million given to other agencies such as the Historical Society, Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Montana Heritage Preservation and Development Commission.

Brown said the new tourism plan won’t require more funding for govern ment, but rather more col laboration and cooperation among agencies.

http://www.mtstandard.com/newsregional/rnews1.html