Tourism Flattens in the Flathead
Experts in Whitefish and Kalispell say the summer has softened since peak-pandemic visitation, but shoulder seasons continue to stay busy
By Maggie Dresser
Amid peak tourist season at the end of July at the gateway to Glacier National Park in Columbia Falls, Backslope Brewing owner Carla Fisher says there’s a steady stream of customers during the lunch rush and the restaurant is always full during dinner. But outside of those hours, she says the remainder of the days are comfortable for her staff.
This busy-but-manageable trend continues from last summer, which saw softer visitation compared to the record-breaking peak pandemic years in 2021 and 2022.
“Last year, it was busy, but it was more manageable than the summers before that, which was absolutely insane and completely unmanageable,” Fisher said. “This year is similar to last year.”
At Explore Whitefish, Executive Director Julie Mullins says this summer has been softer than 2023 and 2019, with flat hotel rates and restaurant managers reporting manageable crowds.
According to the tourism bureau’s market report summary, June’s traditional lodging occupancy dropped 6% year-over-year at an occupancy level of 59.11%.
Short-term rentals, however, grew by 3.5% in June and occupancy levels were at 64.11%
While lodging has been flat, Mullins said year-to-date spending has grown this year from $54 million in 2023 to $57 million this year, which includes visitor and resident spending, according to credit card data.
“Rates are completely flat for lodging,” Mullins said. “We’re just not seeing the compression where they can increase their rates and we’re not seeing the level of visitation we historically have.”
Mullins is noticing more last-minute travelers compared to hotel reservations that are booked well in advance.
“That’s been a trend we’ve been watching for in the last year,” Mullins said. “I think within the last 30 days, 14% to 15% has been added, and that’s huge. People are staying closer to home.”
At Whitefish Mountain Resort, spokesperson Chad Sokol said he’s also noticing more last-minute bookings and lodging numbers picked up fast when the season started.
“I think we’re so far more or less flat compared to last year,” Sokol said. “People are spending like crazy at the Summit House and they’re making the most of their time on the mountain. It’s hard to put a finger on what people are gravitating toward and why – but they are not putting together these grand vacations like they used to.”
At Discover Kalispell, Diane Medler said tourism in the county seat has picked up since last year, which she attributes to both leisure travelers, business conferences and large sporting events like softball, baseball, soccer and the high school rodeo finals.
Medler says the tourism bureau has focused its energy on the shoulder seasons, and sporting events in May and June have helped bolster the visitation.
As usual, Medler said the tourist season picked up after the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park opened in June. Visitors are often confused about the vehicle reservation system, Medler said, but the day-before reservations have eased accessibility issues.
“That does impact people making reservations further out for a trip,” Medler said. “If they don’t get the vehicle reservation, they don’t come.”
According to an American Travel Survey, the budget for travel has increased in June of 2024 year-over-year as rising costs have become more normalized. Meanwhile, luxury hotel bookings are up 2% while economy hotels are down 4%.
As the peak summer tourism season continues in Columbia Falls, Fisher is preparing for the crowds to continue through shoulder season and she hired H-2B visa employees from Guatemala. The work visa allows six-month exchanges compared to the three-month J-1 visa.
“They can be here through September when college and high school students are gone, which is more helpful in that shoulder season,” Fisher said. “Everything used to die down after Labor Day – but that’s not true anymore.”