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Residents Define the Role of Tourism in Montana

Resident Attitudes Regarding Tourism Thale Dillon Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research The University of Montana. Residents Define the Role of Tourism in Montana. Why Resident Attitudes Matter:. Non-resident travel is a major industry in Montana

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Residents Define the Role of Tourism in Montana

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  1. Resident Attitudes Regarding Tourism Thale Dillon Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research The University of Montana Residents Define the Role of Tourism in Montana

  2. Why Resident Attitudes Matter: • Non-resident travel is a major industry in Montana • Residents are a major part of the industry: 1 in 5 of summer visitors cite “friendly people” as a reason for coming to the state • Resident attitudes help assess the acceptability of the industry, and how Montanans are affected by it

  3. Community Attachment: • Residents would be sorry to leave their community • Residents want to be involved in community decisions regarding tourism • Residents would rather live in their community than anywhere else • Residents are concerned about the future of their community

  4. Quality of Life Factors: • Overall community livability is in good condition, and will be influenced positively by tourism • Emergency services are in good condition, but tourism’s influence is uncertain • Safety from crime is in good condition, and tourism will influence it both positively and negatively

  5. Quality of Life Factors: • Availability of jobs is in poor condition, and perceived to be mostly positively affected by tourism • Traffic congestion and cost of living are in poor condition, with tourism expected to have both positive and negative effects

  6. The Tourism Industry in Montana • 1% thinks tourism should have no role in local economy • 26% support a minor role • 57% feels tourism should play a role equal to other industries • 10% are supportive of a dominant role for tourism

  7. The tourism & recreation industry was ranked fourth out of seven industries for providing economic development in the state 1. Agriculture/agri- business 2. Retail & wholesale trade 3. Services 4. Tourism/recreation 5. Manufacturing 6. Wood products 7. Mining Opportunity for Economic Development

  8. Residents’ Contact with Tourists • Few residents encounter tourists on a regular basis

  9. Residents’ Behavior Towards Tourists • The majority of residents strive to make visitors feel welcome

  10. Perceived Job Dependency(Degree to which a person’s job depends on tourism)

  11. Perceived Income Dependency(Degree to which a person’s income depends on tourism)

  12. + Resident Attitudes + • Support for continued tourism promotion • Promotion benefits community economically • Adequate undeveloped open space in community • Feel their community is an attractive place for tourism development • Access to recreation opportunities not limited by tourists • Overall benefits outweigh negative impacts

  13. - Resident Attitudes - • Too many tourists end up moving to Montana • Concern with potential disappearance of open space • Disagree that increased tourism improves quality of life for residents • Disagree that tourism would help community grow in right direction • No personal financial benefit from tourism development

  14. Familiarity with the Bed Tax

  15. Use of Bed Tax DollarsTop Priorities • 1. State Parks operation and maintenance • 2. Management of fish and wildlife resources • 3. Support for local public services in high tourism areas

  16. Use of Bed Tax DollarsBottom Priorities • 11. Promotion of local/regional areas • 12. Promotion of Montana • 13. Local infrastructure development

  17. Montana Poll Questions • Overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts Mean Response 0.85 Strongly Disagree (-2) 6% Disagree (-1) 10% Don’t Know (0) 11% Agree (1) 38% Strongly Agree (2) 35%

  18. Montana Poll Questions • Increases in tourism will improve quality of life for Montanans Mean Response 0.06 Strongly Disagree (-2) 19% Disagree (-1) 21% Don’t Know (0) 13% Agree (1) 29% Strongly Agree (2) 18%

  19. Montana Poll Questions • The state is becoming overcrowded due to more tourists Mean Response -0.16 Strongly Disagree (-2) 21% Disagree (-1) 31% Don’t Know (0) 8% Agree (1) 24% Strongly Agree (2) 16%

  20. Residents’ Opinions--why do we ask? • A measure of satisfaction with the industry--allows for identification of potential problem areas • Resident support can make or break tourism industry--residents are half the product!

  21. Thank You ! www.forestry.umt.edu/itrr

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