Page 34 - Flathead Beacon // 7.30.14

34 | JULY 30, 2014
BUSINESS MONTHLY
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
“We know the other hotels in the val- ley were also positively impacted,” she said.
UPCOMING
Next year’s Spartan Race will be two days with a 13-mile “Beast” race added alongside the 6-mile “Sprint,” Medler said.
The valley will also benefit from oth- er large-scale events and conventions, including the upcoming Mountain Mad- ness Airshow and a large convention at the Hilton Garden Inn held by the Na- tional Association of Police Officers.
Medler said the valley is gaining traction as a location for conventions because of the scenic opportunities that make it an easy sell.
“We have some really nice sites and facilities. Once they get here, they know they’ll have good attendance at their meetings because this is such a vacation destination,” Medler said.
Then there’s the Dragon Boat Festi- val September 13-14, a popular attrac- tion that will once again have more than 80 teams competing, including a major- ity of out-of-market visitors.
Whitefish Mountain Resort, another tourist magnet, has successfully evolved into a year-round destination with its emergent summer activities, including zip-lining, miles of bike trails and other family friendly attractions.
“It used to be zip lines were our bread and butter in the summer. Now the aerial park and everything else are just as popular. We’re cruising along pretty well,” Riley Polumbus, resort spokesperson, said.
Polumbus said the lodging at the re- sort has also noticeably increased this summer.
The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research is hosting its Mid-Year Economic Update in Kalispell, July 31 at the Red Lion Inn. At the public gathering, economists will give updates on tourism and other in- dustries and how the state’s economy is faring after six months into 2014.
Patrick Barkey, director of the BBER, said the Flathead Valley has emergent opportunities in manufacturing and other industries, and indeed tourism continues to become stronger.
“The (economic) rebound there, I wouldn’t say it’s in full stride but you can’t miss it,” he said.
[email protected]
SPECIAL EVENTS
People make their way through the Aerial Adventure Park at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
Tourism season rolling along with high visitation, large events
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
Reaching the heart of summer, and the peak of tourism season, this appears to be another strong year for the Flat- head Valley as it bolsters its status as a popular destination for visitors.
At Glacier Park International Air- port, there were 43,339 passengers fly- ing in and out of Kalispell in June, near- ly 6,000 more than last year. At the mid- year point, GPIA has seen nearly 21,000 more passengers than a year ago, one of the biggest jumps among the state’s larg- est airports.
In Whitefish, resort tax collections were up 6.65 percent in May, or $10,065, over last year. The collections were up roughly $15,000 over three years ago. For the year-to-date, collections were up 5.44 percent, or $97,297.
In Kalispell, the Tourism Business Improvement District is reporting a 7 percent increase in the number of lodg- ing nights versus last year.
“That’s a really good indication that
GOVERNORS’ CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT
July 31-Aug. 2, Flathead Valley
ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT SHOW
Aug. 2-3, Lakeside
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Aug. 2-3, Bigfork
FESTIVAL AMADEUS
Aug. 5-7
HUCKLEBERRY DAYS ARTS FESTIVAL
Aug. 8-10, Whitefish
RIVERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL
Aug. 8-9, Libby
NORTHWEST MONTANA FAIR
Aug. 13-17, Kalispell
FLATHEAD LAKE BLUES FESTIVAL
Aug. 15-16, Polson
CROWN OF THE CONTINENT GUITAR FESTIVAL AND WORKSHOP
Aug. 24-31, Bigfork
MOUNTAIN MADNESS AIR SHOW
Aug. 30-31, Kalispell
TASTE OF WHITEFISH
Sept. 4
LIBBY NORDICFEST
Sept. 12-14
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
Sept. 13-14
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Keeping Up with Summer
we’re busy,” said Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau.
“Overall we had a really solid spring, and then summer got off to a good start.” The strong start to tourism season comes in spite of harsh spring weather and the late opening of the Going-to- the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, which normally acts as the valley’s tour- ist beacon. Visitation was down slightly in June at the park, largely due to the
Sun Road’s closure until early July. “The delayed opening of the Sun Road certainly had an impact but not a dramatic impact,” Medler said. “I think that’s because of all the other activities
being pushed.”
Indeed, the Flathead Valley has a
bolstered lineup of attractions, such as the Spartan Race and Whitefish Moun- tain Resort’s growing summer opportu- nities.
The second annual Spartan Race in May drew 5,700 registered racers, 30 percent more than last year.
The event generated 1,300 room nights in Kalispell hotels, Medler said, and the overall figure probably was more than that considering the TBID statis- tics don’t count lodging in other area communities.
Walk-Ins are Welcome!
ONSITE LAB AND X-RAY
Urgent Care is available
7 DAYS A WEEK
Monday thru Friday 8am - 7pm Saturdays 9am - 5pm • Sundays 12pm - 5pm
Glacier Medical Associates
1111 Baker Avenue, Whitefish, MT 59937 glaciermedicalassociates.com 406-862-2515
June 6th
Packets cost $25.00
Elder Packets (75 and older) $12.00 Machines cost $40.00
Elder Machines $20.00
Extra Packets $2.00
Early Bird Packets cost $4.00 Games 1,2,3 pay $50.00 Game 4 pays $100.00
Machines pay $125.00 Paper pays $75.00
1 Special game pays $300.00
BLACKOUT 1 pays $1,000 BLACKOUT 2 pays $1,000 BLACKOUT 3 pays $1,000
HWY 2 & 89 WEST | BROWNING, MONTANA 59417 | (406) 338-CASH or 2274 | WWW.GLACIERPEAKSCASINO.COM