In Memory Jim Wilton

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In Memory Jim Wilton
Jim, wife Heidi, and 2 yr. old Amanda
ITRR staff Yellowstone 2005
James Jared Wilton September 6, 1969 March 26,
2006
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Todays Presentation

• Tourism Recreation Trends and 2006 Outlook
• Preliminary Nonresident survey data results
• - Methodology
• - Nonresident Vacationer
• - Comparisons between
• Hikers
• Wildlife watchers
• Fishermen/women
• Visitors to historic sites

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Outlook 2006 Travel and Recreation in Montana
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Montanas Milestone 10 Million Nonresident
Visitors!
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Tourism Impacts to Montana

• Preliminary Estimates
• 2 billion of direct expenditures
• Nearly 28,000 direct jobs
• Over 36,000 combined jobs
• 2.8 increase over 2004

NO
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(No Transcript)
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18 Decrease
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3.8
3 Increase
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7 Increase
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Percent of Montana Air Traffic
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Amtrak Ridership in Montana
9 Increase
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Average Daily Expenditures by Top Nine Main
Attractions to Montana
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Obstacles to Business Success

• 24 - Regulations/laws (public land permits, DOT
  signage, YNP snowmobiling)
• 23 - Taxes (too high, bad tax structure deters
  business, time filling out forms)
• 18 - Insurance (liability, workers comp.,
  health)
• 9 - Outfitter regulations (river limitations,
  over regulation, unregulated guides)
• 6 - Complexity (too many agencies, licenses,
  permits, tax forms,

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Assistance to Business Success

• Limits on hunting outfitters
• FWP guarantee of nonresident hunting licenses
• Open access to public waterways
• No smoking law
• No sales tax
• Resort tax
• Bed tax
• Environmental protection

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2006 Outlook

• 2 projected increase in U.S. Domestic Travel
• 2 projected increase in nonresident travel
  to Montana
• Slower growth due to lower consumer confidence
  levels, high energy prices, unease about earning
  and spending potential

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2005 Nonresident Visitor Study
2005 Surveyors after two days of serious
training!
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Nonresident Methodology

• Intercept nonresidents at gas stations, rest
  areas, and airports.
• 15 up-front questions, then survey handed to
  visitor who mails it back
• Proportion counts at borders to MT

• Bozeman surveyor and visitor

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Results

• 15,126 nonresidents contacted.
• 709 refusals, 83 Yellowstone day trippers, 34
  Yellowstone seasonal employees for initial
  response rate of 95.
• Mailback survey response rate of 43.
• Surveys will be weighted to represent the
  population of nonresident visitors.
• The following analysis is unweighted and
  therefore preliminary!
• /- 5 accuracy

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Quarterly Numbers

• Returned surveys
• Q1 1,031
• Q2 1,393
• Q3 2,118
• Q4 1,610
• Total 6,152

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2005 Nonresident Vacationers Demographics

• Income level
• 24 - 120k
• 20 - 40-59K
• 19 - 60-79K
• 14 - 80-99K
• 12 - lt40K
• 11 - 100-119K

• Age groups represented
• 38 - 55-64 yrs.
• 37 - 45-54 yrs.
• 25 - 35-44 yrs.
• 23 - 65-74 yrs.
• 15 - 25-34 yrs.
• 13 - 11-17 yrs.
• 10 - 6-10 yrs.
• 8 - 18-24 yrs.
• 7 - 0-5 yrs.
• 6 - 75 yrs.

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2005 Nonresident Vacationers Demographics
where from?

• All States minus RI
• 8 - WA
• 8 - CA
• 7 - Alb
• 5 - ID
• 5 - UT
• 4 - MN
• 3 - CO, FL, IL, TX, WI
• 2 - AZ, BC, GA, MI, ND,
• NY, OH, OR, PA, VA,
• WY

• Represented 25 countries
• Australia, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Canada,
  Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland,
  China, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico,
  Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, S.
  Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK,

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Nonresident VacationersTravel Characteristics

• Travel Party Type
• 45 Couple
• 23 Immediate family
• 11 Alone
• 8 Friends
• 7 Family friends
• 5 Extended family
• 1 Organized group
• lt1 Business assoc.

• Travel Party size
• 52 2 people
• 16 4 people
• 11 1 person
• 9 3 people
• 5 5 people
• 3 6 people

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Nonresident VacationersInformation Exploration

• Extent to which a movie filmed in MT
  influenced this or prior visits
• 84 not at all
• 14 some influence
• 2 a lot of influence

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Nonresident VacationersInformation Exploration
of vacationers who recalled seeing the
following in the past year Magazine article 55
Magazine Ad 46 TV Ad 29 Newspaper
article 24 Internet Ad 22

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Vacationer Flexibility in Travel Plans

• No flexibility 22
• Few unplanned stops are OK 28
• Fairly flexible, some planned 22
• A few plans, but quite flexible 19
• No definite plans, very flexible 9

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Nonresident VacationersInformation Exploration
Info sources used to help plan Montana trip All
sources Most useful source 54
Internet travel information 45 32 National
Park brochure/book/website 12 24 Automobile
club 14 16 Guide book 8 12
Montana Travel Planner 5 12
Magazine/newspaper articles 12 Private
businesses 8 9 Chamber/visitor
bureau 5 State Park brochure/website 2
Toll free sate travel number 17 Did not use any
information sources 12 Did not use any sources
listed

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Nonresident VacationersInformation Exploration

Info sources used during Montana trip Used.

Extended my stay. no some a
lot no ½ day 1 day night 55 36
9 Visitor information staff 89 3
5 3 42 47 11 Brochure rack
Info 89 5 3 2 42 48 10 Frontline
employee 91 4 2 3 33 46 21
Highway info signs 91 5 2 2 76 29 4
Other travelers 94 3 2 1 66 29
5 Billboards 96 3 1 1 Most
useful source 29 Visitor info staff 20
brochure rack 21 front line employee 19
highway info signs 9 other traveler 1
billboards
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Nonresident Vacationers Attraction to Montana

• All Attractions
• 63 Mountains/forests
• 52 Open space
• 43 Yellowstone
• 40 Rivers
• 36 Glacier
• 29 Wildlife/fish
• 29 Lakes
• 19 Friends/relatives

• Primary Attraction
• 18 Glacier
• 18 Yellowstone
• 14 Mountains/forests
• 11 Open Space
• 8 Wildlife/fish
• 5 Friends/relatives

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Nonresident VacationersActivity Patterns

• Activities that were highlights
• Driving for pleasure
• Wildlife watching
• Day hiking
• Fishing/fly fishing
• Visiting historic sites
• Recreational shopping
• Visiting LC sites
• Visiting museums
• Camping

Top 10 Activities 60 Driving for
pleasure 51 Wildlife watching 38 Day hiking 37
recreational shopping 33 Picnicking 29 Visit
historic sites 21 Visit museums 20 Fishing/fly
fishing 20 Visit LC sites 18 Camping (devlp.
Sites)
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Nonresident VacationersSites Visited on this Trip
45 Yellowstone 36 Glacier 12 Little Bighorn
Battlefield 10 Flathead Lake State Park 10
Other Montana State Parks 8 Virginia
City/Nevada City 7 Lewis and Clark
Interpretive Center 6 National Bison Range

16 went to both parks
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Activity Comparison

• Day Hikers
• Wildlife
• Watchers
• Fishermen
• Historic
• Site visitors

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Nonresident Visitors
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Nonresident Visitors
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Nonresident Visitors
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Nonresident Visitors
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Nonresident Visitors Top 5 Primary Attractions
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Nonresident Visitors Top 5 Activity Highlights
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Nonresident Visitors Top 5 Sites Visited
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Summary

• It should be a growth year for tourism - but
  only about 2
• Nonresident vacationers are baby boomer couples
  with high incomes, are not influenced to visit by
  movies, do see magazine articles and ads, are not
  as flexible in their plans as we might like, use
  the internet for pre-planning and highway signs
  while in the state, are attracted to Montanas
  mountains/forests, open space/ uncrowded areas,
  and the two national parks.

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Thank you www.itrr.umt.edu
Heidi and Amanda Wilton 6305 Helena Dr. Missoula,
MT 59803 Or Send checks to Benefit fund for
Amanda Wilton Missoula Federal Credit Union 2001
Brooks St. Missoula, MT 59801 OR wire
transfer Routing 292977899 Account 235204
Amanda Wilton Trust Fund