Missoula, Mont. — Summer events in Missoula bring in tourism dollars that are crucial for the local economy. In fact, nearly half of Montana's out-of-state visitors stop by during the hot months, according to the University of Montana.
Destination Missoula Executive Director Barbara Neilan said big draws such as the Missoula Marathon and stadium concerts at the University of Montana have been a huge draw.
"Those people go out to eat, buy gas [and] go and they shop in our retail places," she said. "About 82% of the people who come to Missoula for the first time come back again, and they continue to come back,"
Recent weeks brought crowds to Washington-Grizzly Stadium for shows featuring Post Malone and Luke Bryan. The Western Montana Fair has also brought people across two weekends.
Local hotels also count on those busy stretches.
"It drives occupancy across the board. We know that we are going to increase our budgets by events. It makes a lot of business decisions for us knowing that these things are coming," said Dan Monahan, general manager of Edgewater Missoula.
Neilan said Missoula's welcoming feel also helps bring events to the city and gives first-time visitors a reason to return.
"One of the things that keeps them coming back are the people in Missoula, because they are so friendly and they're so welcoming," said Neilan. "You can go down to the farmer's market, be a total stranger in town, and pretty soon you've talked to 15 people," Neilan said.
Neilan said she understands that some people do not want large numbers of tourists coming in for a weekend, but pointed to community programs such as the Clark Fork River Ambassadors that tourism-related tax revenue partly fund.
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