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

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 persons job depends on tourism)

11. Perceived Income Dependency (Degree to which a persons 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 Dollars Top 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 Dollars Bottom Priorities 11. Promotion of local/regional areas 12. Promotion of Montana 13. Local infrastructure development

17. Montana Poll Questions À Overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts Mean Response0.85 Strongly Disagree (-2) 6% Disagree (-1)10% Dont Know (0)11% Agree (1)38% Strongly Agree (2)35%

18. Montana Poll Questions Á Increases in tourism will improve quality of life for Montanans Mean Response0.06 Strongly Disagree (-2)19% Disagree (-1)21% Dont 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% Dont 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