Glacier Country Cashing in on tourism to improve economy

Glacier Country http://glacier.visitmt.com/ uses bed tax funds to draw visitors

Linda Anderson of Bigfork has never been what you’d call an avid bird-watcher, but she’s been reading up on birds a lot lately.

By DARYL GADBOW of the Missoulian

She’s trying to learn as much as she can about the subject before the first week in June, when she’ll be the guide for six national magazine writers who will be visiting western Montana’s premier bird-watching locations.

As executive director of Glacier Country, one of six tourism promotion regions in the state funded by Montana’s bed tax, Anderson is hoping the six visiting writers will produce articles extolling the birding opportunities of western Montana. And she hopes those articles in prominent magazines and newspapers will bring more tourists to Glacier Country, which represents eight counties in the northwest corner of the state, including Missoula County.

Bringing in writers for "press trips" is one way that Glacier Country invests its share of bed tax revenues to attract tourists, Anderson says.

Themes of past press trips have included recreational vehicle camping, the Flathead and Blackfeet Indian reservations, Glacier Park and Lewis and Clark.

"We did one called fire and ice," Anderson says, "based around hot springs and ski areas in the area. The writers really liked it and they got a lot of stories out of it. So it’s a relatively inexpensive way to get the area promoted. Maybe 2 million people will see the articles. It can be a lot more effective than ads. We know when they come out because our 800 (toll-free telephone information) line starts to ring, and it’s from Miami, and everyone’s calling about the Bison Range because of a story in the Miami newspaper."

Glacier Country’s press trips have resulted in articles in magazines such as National Geographic, Smithsonian, Better Homes and Gardens and Sunset, and major newspapers such as the New York Post, according to Anderson.

Glacier Country http://glacier.visitmt.com/ also uses direct mail, e-mail and national advertising to interest prospective tourists in coming to western Montana. All those various methods are coordinated by a Glacier Country marketing committee to target certain groups and areas of the country.

The travel and tourism industry nationwide has been depressed since the terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001, says Anderson.

"Our industry has been hit harder than any other," she says. "Montana has done better than some other states. People have held off making summer vacation plans because of the war and the economy. People are looking for deals this summer."

Montana is competing against tourist attractions like Disneyland and other Western states for a share of the tourism business this year, Anderson says.

"That’s one of the things that’s always a challenge for us," she says. "But things are starting to pick up. Our call centers were down in March and April, which is usually our busiest time for inquiries. But our Web inquiries are up this year. We are hearing a mixed bag from businesses. The lodges in Glacier are OK. Other places say reservations are down."

Glacier Country is already starting to do its market planning for 2004, Anderson says. And, she adds, those efforts are crucial to the economy of the state.

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Find out more about Glacier Country, Montana by contacting us at:

Glacier Country, Montana

http://glacier.visitmt.com/

1-800-338-5072

e-mail at: [email protected]

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"I guess some people don’t realize that tourism is economic development," she says, citing the following statistics:

* Tourism is Montana’s second largest industry, generating $1.8 billion in 2002.

* 24 percent of that total, or $435.6 million, went into retail sales.

* 22 percent of the total went to purchases of gasoline and oil, generating $70 million in tax collections and bringing
$400.7 million into the state.

* 18 percent of the total went to restaurants and bars for sales of $330.7 million.

* 16 percent went to lodging, producing $290.3 million in revenue.

* 8 percent went for groceries and snacks, for $139 million in sales.

Part of Montana’s five-year plan for tourism promotion, says Anderson, involves targeting more visitors who will stay longer and spend more money.

That’s where the bird-watching press trip in June fits into the picture.

The popularity of birding, and its potential as a tourist attraction, says Anderson, "is huge."

Ardent birders, she says, tend to be affluent and well-educated, just the sort of visitors Glacier Country is looking for.

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/05/12/news/top/news01.txt