State looks to pitch Montana as a free-spirited place for adventure

When people in the rest of the country think of Montana, what comes to mind is beautiful, natural scenery, as well as wildlife, wide-open spaces, fresh air and mountains.

But more often, they think of Colorado. That’s Montana’s top competitor for tourist dollars.

“Colorful Colorado” outranks “Big Sky County” in people’s minds for vacation potential, national parks, scenic beauty and especially winter recreation, a report prepared for the Montana Department of Commerce found.

In 2015, Colorado had 77.7 million visitors, who spent $19.1 billion.

‘Tis the season for the state’s campaign to bring tourists, and their dollars, to Montana on summer vacations. Last year the state saw a record 12 million tourists, or a dozen per resident. That’s an increase of 1.6 million visitors from five years ago.

The Montana Department of Commerce’s tourism campaign’s tagline is “Discover Your Montana Moment,” which builds off the popular social media campaign #MontanaMoment.

State tourism promotion efforts also involve hiring “influencers” to come to the state, such as skier Grete Eliassen and California photographer Chris Burkard, who then post pictures of themselves in Montana for their thousands of followers to see.

The ad campaign features the work of Montana photographers and emphasizes what Jenny Pelej of the Montana Office of Tourism called opportunities for visitors to have an “authentic trip that lets them experience the feelings of being free-spirited and adventurous while returning to a fine meal and comfortable place to rest.”

In the fall, the department awarded the $7 million advertising contract to Milwaukee agency Hoffman York, which is opening an office in Helena on May 1. Hoffman York will continue to work with Great Falls-based digital agency, Shortgrass, according to a press release Wednesday. The agency also has offices in Los Angeles, Louisville and Chicago.

The ad campaign’s goal is to increase awareness of Montana as a destination nationwide, though a particular emphasis will be on getting the state in the forefront of the minds of potential visitors in neighboring states.

This is the first campaign to use new tourism research. Among the findings:

•California dominates people’s idea of the West, but Yellowstone National Park ranked behind only the Grand Canyon when people were asked to name travel destinations in the West.

•When it came to Western states they think of as places to visit for outdoor fun and scenic beauty, those surveyed overwhelmingly said California. Then Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Hawaii and Alaska.

•Montana ranked in the middle for “destination excitement.” South Dakota, Idaho and North Dakota claimed the bottom spots, behind Saskatchewan, Canada, of all places.

•The state has a higher-than-normal “destination aspiration gap,” so more people want to visit than have visited.

•What people want to do on a trip to Montana, according to the survey, is: 1. Hike; 2. Visit Glacier National Park; 3. Eat out; 4. Visit Yellowstone National Park; 5. Visit Lewis and Clark sites; 6. Drive scenic byways; 7. Explore small towns; 8. Visit geological/dinosaur sites; 9. See Native American sites; and 10. Visit a state park/recreation area.

•Montana State Parks, hot springs, non-traditional lodging in teepees or yurts and star-gazing are key potential areas to emphasize as ways to attract visitors, the research found.

•The places with people most likely to visit Montana are Denver, Colo., Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Los Angeles, New York City and Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta.

The big picture is that Montana is off the radar and off the beaten path, so people think of it as expensive and time-consuming to reach. On the plus side, the state is not touristy or overcrowded, more natural, a little mysterious and home to a free environment that encourages adventure, the research found.

Which words describe our state?

Top 10 words out-of-staters used to describe Montana:

1. Beautiful (56.6 percent)

2. Wilderness

3. Relaxing

4. Uncrowded

5. Expansive

6. Welcoming

7. Unique

8. Family-friendly

9. Exciting

10. Laid-back (32.6)

Top 10 negative Montana associations:

1. Hard to get to (16.3 percent)

2. Touristy

3. Bland

4. Boring

5. Expensive

6. Unpopular

7. Backward

8. Crowded

9. Unfriendly

10. Unsafe (3.4 percent)

– Survey of 6,245 people about which phrases they think accurately describe Montana. Research by Destination Analysts for the Montana Department of Commerce.