Economic Contribution of Summer Season Travel in The Beartooth Region - Nonresident Expenditures Summer Season 2012 Contribution of Nonresident Visitor Spending to the Local Economies* ▪ Nonresidents of the Beartooth Region are defined as residing outside of Park or Carbon County, MT or ads Park County, WY. ▪ During summer, 2012, nonresident travelers spent $44.96 million while traveling in the Beartooth Region. ▪ Nonresident travelers spent $12.8 million in Red Lodge, MT, $20.1 million in Cody, WY and $12.1 million in Cooke City/Silver Gate, MT. ▪ This $44.96 million in nonresident spending supports $50.24 million in economic activity and supports 616 total jobs due to spending in the Beartooth Region. Table 1 - 2012 Carbon County, MT Economic Impact (Spending in Red Lodge, MT area) $12.8 million in nonresident spending contributes: Direct Indirect Induced Combined Industry Output $9,687,000 $2,506,000 $1,470,000 $13,663,000 Employment (# of jobs) 134 28 14 176 Employee Compensation $2,418,000 $455,000 $247,000 $3,120,000 Proprietor Income $465,000 $191,000 $88,000 $745,000 Other Property Type Income $1,152,000 $488,000 $393,000 $2,033,000 State and Local Taxes - - - $1,051,000 Table 2 - 2012 Park County, WY Economic Impact (Spending in Cody, WY area) $20.1 million in nonresident spending contributes: Direct Indirect Induced Combined Industry Output $15,389,000 $4,737,000 $2,922,000 $23,049,000 Employment (# of jobs) 192 44 27 263 Employee Compensation $4,184,000 $970,000 $663,000 $5,817,000 Proprietor Income $797,000 $511,000 $212,000 $1,520,000 Other Property Type Income $1,965,000 $877,000 $692,000 $3,533,000 State & Local Taxes - - - $1,661,000 Table 3 - 2012 Park County, MT Economic Impact (Spending in Cooke City/Silver Gate, MT area) $12.1 million in nonresident spending contributes: Direct Indirect Induced Combined Industry Output $9,537,000 $2,215,000 $1,777,000 $13,529,000 Employment (# of jobs) 134 26 18 177 Employee Compensation $2,740,000 $476,000 $383,000 $3,599,000 Proprietor Income $291,000 $173,000 $86,000 $550,000 Other Property Type Income $1,144,000 $375,000 $415,000 $1,934,000 State & Local Taxes - - - $955,000 Beartooth Region nonresident travel spending data was collected June 1, 2012 - September 21, 2012 * IMPLAN economic input-output model software was used in these analyses. February, 2013 Jake Jorgenson, Kara Garu M.S. www.itrr.umt.edu ©2013 ITRR Table 4 - 2012 Red Lodge, MT Nonresident Traveler Expenditures Allocation by Expenditure Category Total Expenditures Red Lodge, MT Nonresident Category Expenditures Hotels and Motels $3,609,000 28% Camp. Lic., Fees, Auto Restaurant and Bar $2,964,000 23% Rent. Fees, 1% Rental, Gasoline and Oil $2,359,000 18% Cabin, 2% 1% 7% Misc. Retail $1,231,000 10% Purchases, Groceries and Snacks $1,090,000 8% Groc., & 1% Snacks, Rental Cabin/B&B/Resorts $915,000 7% 9% Hotels & Campgrounds $308,000 2% Motels, Retail, 28% Licenses/Fees/Admissons Gasoline $113,000 1% 10% Restaurant and Oil, Auto Rental $85,000 1% & Bars, 18% Misc. Purchases $162,000 1% 23% Total $12,836,000 Table 5 - 2012 Cody, WY Nonresident Traveler Expenditures Allocation by Expenditure Category Total Expenditures Cody, WY Nonresident Expenditures Category Camp. Auto Hotels and Motels $6,818,000 34% Fees, Auto Rental, Rental 3% Repair, 1% Gasoline and Oil $3,624,000 18% Cabins, Guides, 1% Restaurants & Bars $3,509,000 18% 3% 1% Retail $1,827,000 9% Lic., Fees., Misc. Groceries and Snacks $1,739,000 9% 3% Purchases, 1% Licenses/Fees/Admissions $811,000 4% Groc. and Hotels & Rental Cabin/B&B/Resort $650,000 3% Snacks, 9% Motels, Campgrounds $518,000 3% 34% Auto Repair $195,000 1% Retail, 9% Auto Rental $147,000 1% Gasoline Guides/Outfitters $110,000 1% and Oil, 18% Misc. Purchases $102,000 1% Restaurant & Bars, Total $20,050,000 17% Table 6 - 2012 Cooke City/Silver Gate, MT Nonresident Traveler Expenditures Allocation by Expenditure Category Total Expenditures Cooke City, MT Nonresident Category Expenditures Restaurants & Bars $2,942,000 24% Misc. Rental Cabin/B&B/Resort $2,445,000 20% Guides, Auto Purchases, 2% Rental, <1% Hotels and Motels $2,418,000 20% Lic., Fees, Camp. 1% Gasoline and Oil $1,961,000 16% 2% fees, 1% Retail $944,000 8% Rest. & Groc. and Bars, Groceries and Snacks $613,000 5% Snacks, 25% 5% Licenses/Fees/Admissions $276,000 2% Retail, Guides/Outfitters $215,000 2% 8% Campgrounds $140,000 1% Rental Gasoline Hotels & Cabins, Auto Rental $74,000 1% and Oil, Motels, 20% 16% 20% Misc. Purchases $48,000 <1% Total $12,076,000 February, 2013 Jake Jorgenson, Kara Garu M.S. www.itrr.umt.edu ©2013 ITRR The Beartooth Highway: 2012 Summer Use and Image Jake Jorgenson Norma Nickerson, Ph.D. Kara Grau, M.S. I College of Forestry and Conservation Phone (406) 243-5686 32 Campus Dr. #1234 Fax (406) 243-4845 The University of Montana www.itrr.umt.edu Missoula, MT 59812 The Beartooth Highway: 2012 Summer Use and Image Prepared by Jake Jorgenson Norma Nickerson, Ph.D. Kara Grau, M.S. Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research College of Forestry and Conservation The University of Montana Missoula, MT 59812 www.itrr.umt.edu Research Report 2013-2 January 2013 This report was funded by the Montana Lodging Facility Use Tax and The Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road Copyright© 2013 Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. All rights reserved. II Executive Summary The Beartooth Highway is a 68-mile travel corridor that reaches nearly 11,000 feet in elevation with sweeping vistas of snow-covered ridges, high plateau views, lakes and trails. A 54-mile segment of the road is designated as the Beartooth All-American Road, one of only 31 All-American Roads highlighted as the most scenic byways in the United States. No visitor research had been conducted on the Beartooth Highway, therefore, the overall purpose of this report was to investigate traveler characteristics on the Beartooth highway including demographics, residency, activities, image, and travel patterns in the region with the gateway communities of Red Lodge and Cooke City, MT and Cody, WY. Data was collected from May 31st through the end of September, 2012 at the three entry locations to the Beartooth Highway. A total of 4,267 nonresidents and 485 residents of the local counties were intercepted. Of the nonresidents given a follow-up survey, 1,473 mailbacks were returned (45% response rate). • From May 31 – September 30th total traffic on the Beartooth highway was 178,904 vehicles. Nonresidents represented 91% of total traffic: 76,147 through YNP NE entrance; 57,727 from Red Lodge; 28,391 from WY highway 296. • Visitors came from all 50 states (81% of visitors), 7 Canadian provinces (3% of visitors), and 30 foreign countries (5% of visitors with England and Germany the highest numbers). • 32 percent of visitors primarily traveled the highway because it is a federally designated scenic byway, higher than any other reason for traveling the Beartooth. 54% of all visitors responded that the Beartooth Highway was a main destination. • On average, nonresident visitors spent 2 nights in the Beartooth Region including Red Lodge, MT, Cooke City/Silver Gate, MT, Cody, WY and along the highway itself. • 49 percent of the visitors also spent a night in Yellowstone; 27% spent a night in Billings; 25% spent a night in West Yellowstone and 25% spent a night in Jackson, WY. • 44 percent of nonresidents were traveling the Beartooth Highway for their first time. • Scenic driving (84%), nature photography (61%), and wildlife watching (58%) were the most common activities along the Beartooth Highway. Repeat visitors were more likely to be wildlife watching, day hiking, camping, birding, and fishing than first-time visitors. • The most frequently reported visitor motivations for traveling the Beartooth Highway focused around the scenic beauty, natural surroundings, and open space. • The physical attributes of the highway generally received high marks however visitors were least agreeable to the statement that there were good interpretive signage. • Emotive responses to traveling the highway show that first-time visitors were more reserved, nervous, stressed, and afraid than repeat visitors. • The Beartooth Highway gateway communities are perceived in a positive light with Cody, WY receiving the highest marks of the three communities for image and beliefs about the community. • Resident travel made up 10 percent of the total intercepts. Residents stated that they travel the highway on average 17 times per year. This study suggests that visitors perceive the Beartooth Region as more of a destination than a travel route to Yellowstone National Park. Continued and enhanced collaboration and funding between gateway communities, YNP, the forest service and the highway departments will ensure success of the highway as an economic contributor to the region and to help preserve the ecosystem for the future. III Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... III Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... IV Table of Figures and Tables.......................................................................................................................... IV Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Methods .......................................................................................................................................................