Area tourism spending hits $1.2 billion last year in Glacier Country

Tourists spent $1.2 billion last year in Western Montana, according to a new study.

In the Glacier Country tourism region, that spending supplemented 12,400 jobs and $945 million in economic activity, according to the University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research.

The institute recently completed its analysis of nonresident spending in Montana.

Glacier Country includes Flathead, Glacier, Lincoln and Missoula counties.

“Spending statewide was way up,” said Kara Grau, assistant director of economic analysis at the institute. “It’s a continuingly upward trend.”

The statewide contribution by tourists in 2014 was $3.9 billion, supporting more than 38,000 jobs, according to the report. Travel directly delivered more than $1 billion in labor income to the state.

“Overall, it’s nice to continue to get a look at what our travelers are spending money on,” Grau said. “It’s a good way to get a broad picture of what’s happening out there.”

In Glacier Country, $668 million was spent in Flathead County, $85 million in Glacier County, $90 million in Lincoln County and $285 million in Missoula County.

In Flathead County, the tourist dollars contributed to 6,800 jobs and more than $179 million in labor income, with an additional 2,700 jobs and $93 million in labor income indirectly supported.

Lake and Sanders counties were not included in the analysis because the institute limited the survey to counties where at least $50 million was spent by nonresidents.  

Grau said it has become an expectation that tourists spend a large amount of their money on fuel since Montana is a big state for people to travel. Spending on food was a close third, but the highest expenditure, she said, goes toward camping or hotels around the state.

The full report is available online at scholarworks.umt.edu/itrr_pubs/315.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.