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Montana's milestone: 10 million nonresident visitors.

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Preliminary estimates show that Montana's nonresident visitation reached a milestone in terms of numbers--10 million cars drove into Montana--in 2005 as the average group size was a little over two people per travel party, but it does indicate a strong year for travel in Montana both by car and by air. Nonresident visitation increased 4 percent over 2004 (Figure 1), which was the same increase expected for the United States. Nonresident visitors dropped new dollars into the state at a rate of approximately $2 billion per year, contributed over 29,000 jobs, and generated $531 million in income.

A review of key indicators in Montana's travel industry shows that it was a strange year for visitation. In fact, most indicators would suggest that Montana would have seen a decrease in overall visitation in 2005. For example, both Glacier and Yellowstone national parks experienced decreases in visitation in 2005 (Figure 2), with August and September driving the overall declines. However, when reviewing the number of visitors and percent change at various attractions, overall visitation to attractions was virtually flat (-0.6 percent).

The 2004-05 ski season was abysmal. Snow conditions around the state were poor and reflect the 18 percent decrease in skier visits (Figure 3). Most likely, the decrease was attributed to resident rather than nonresident skier days, as discussions with the major ski area representatives mentioned that nonresidents still came, but locals were harder to please.

On the upside, the number of rooms sold increased 3.8 percent in 2005 over 2004 (Figure 4). In addition, airport deboardings increased...

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