Discover Kalispell celebrates travel industry during national week

Discover Kalispell joined tourism partners from across the country to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, an annual event that spotlights the impact of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

Held May 7-13, this year marked the 40th anniversary of NTTW and the theme is #TravelForward.

There were 12.5 million nonresident visitors to Montana last year and nonresident visitors contributed more than $5.82 billion to Montana’s economy in 2022, including $315 million in state and local taxes.

“Tourism is the second-largest industry in Montana and it has a significant impact on the health of our local economy, local businesses and residents,” said Diane Medler, Executive Director for Discover Kalispell. “As we work to move travel forward and ensure that it continues to be a major economic driver, we’re also focusing on highlighting and delivering messaging around the importance of responsible travel and ways to protect this incredible destination.”

Discover Kalispell is the destination marketing and stewardship organization for Kalispell.

Tourism plays an important role across the U.S. and Montana, with major positive contributions to Flathead County and the local Kalispell economy, the organization notes.

Travel, tourism and hospitality supported over 43,900 jobs and $1.4 billion in salaries for Montana residents last year.

Kalispell last year saw about 1.9 million visitors, according to Discover Kalispell.

Of those visitors, 82% visited Glacier National Park, 30% visited Yellowstone National Park and 28% visited Flathead Lake state parks.

The organization notes that the primary reasons for visiting Kalispell include leisure travel, with top activities including scenic drives, day hikes, nature photography, wildlife watching, camping, shopping, breweries and historic sites.

The average group size to Kalispell is 2.3 people, with the biggest market being visitors over the age of 45. While 67% of visitors to Kalispell were return visitors, according to a report from the Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research.

Most travelers come during July through September, followed by April through June.

Discover Kalispell does not actively promote summer travel, but instead focuses on responsible travel and communicating with visitors before they arrive and once they are on the ground in the Flathead Valley.

“Visitors are going to continue to choose Kalispell for their vacation,” said Medler. “At Discover Kalispell, we’re actively working to promote our shoulder seasons, while encouraging the travelers who are here to spend money locally at restaurants and watering holes, shops, boutiques and museums, as well as on guided experiences.”

While Discover Kalispell is a tourism marketing organization, they also place a major emphasis on stewardship and sustainability.

“Over the last few years, we’ve focused on growing awareness of how to travel safely, leave no trace and ways to explore beyond just Glacier National Park,” said Medler. “We’re going to continue to focus on the community-first approach we’ve been taking and actively engage with visitors, new residents and locals to ensure that we’re all doing our part.”

Visitor outreach efforts include communication around recreating responsibly, supporting small businesses and tips on how to visit and behave in the outdoors.

More information about Discover Kalispell can be found at DiscoverKalispell.com.