Speech
Governor's Conference on Tourism
Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Helena
4/25/2003
Thank you all for joining me here this evening, and my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for being a key part of one of the fastest growing industries in our state.
The cornerstone of my administration continues to be the creation of better-paying jobs in our state, and your industry is vital as we work toward that goal.
Ten times as many people visit our state as live here, and they spend about 1.8 billion dollars a year during their stay – ½ billion for employee salaries alone. Those dollars directly support 33,000 Montana jobs.
And your impact to our economy reaches well beyond the tourism industry. One example is our state’s agriculture industry. It is often said that if you eat, you are involved in agriculture – and folks – our tourists eat their fair share when they visit our state.
Visitors to our state eat approximately 110 MILLION meals annually. That creates a great opportunity to promote top quality Montana food products to our visitors. It is our hope that they will eat this great food in Montana, and then take the next step by asking for it in their local grocery stores when they return home.
This food consumption adds value to our state’s agricultural commodities, supporting our farmers and ranchers.
Another industry that benefits from tourism is our state’s airline industry. Air service for Montanans is enhanced by the number of visitors that come here. More flights for them means more flights for those of us who live here.
And you are assisting state government as well. In these times of fiscal challenges in our state, your industry stepped forward in last year’s special session to provide nearly
$1.7 million from the bed tax as a part of our budget solution.
But I want you to know that the solution you helped provide for our budget in the special session is the exception – not the rule.
I firmly believe that bed tax dollars should be used for the promotion of Montana as a premier visitor destination, and developing our state to be more visitor friendly, so thank you for being a part of our budget solution, and I am confident that our economy will begin to turn around in the next two years.
Even though travel promotion is not funded through general fund dollars, in order to ensure that programs like yours are supported, we proposed a one-time transfer of $93 million in the coal trust fund to cover our short-term budget shortfall.
Some legislators have proposed an option that would raise $29 million in revenues from a tobacco tax increase and transfer $29 million from the coal trust fund. I have endorsed that compromise and hope you will express your support for this plan to your legislators as well.
I also want to thank you for your direct support of our tax reform initiative for economic development. As you know, our tax reform plan is focused to a large extent on your industry.
I appreciate the work that your leaders have done to ensure that your voice was heard as we developed the plan.
I firmly believe that our plan is right for Montanans, and that this is the right time to accomplish such reforms. I thank you for your support and recognition that, working together, we can accomplish true tax reform that will benefit the bottom line of small businesses, employers and ultimately, Montana families.
This foresight and vision goes well beyond our tax plan, and extends to your industry’s strategic planning efforts as well.
Just a few short months ago, I was updated on your 5-year strategic plan. It is my understanding that this plan is the third in a series, which has assisted in the success of the industry and the benefits it provides Montana.
Truly, the Montana Tourism and Recreation Industry is a model for the state’s future economic development efforts.
As we have developed our economic strategy – called the “Roadmap for A New Economy” – the tourism industry has provided an outstanding framework for which we can base many of our economic development efforts.
A great example is our approach to regional economic development – also called ‘clustering’. This strategy, which focuses economic development resources regionally on a those industries that best fit the area, has long been used by your industry.
This strategy has paid off for the tourism industry. There are numerous examples of this success, and I’d like to highlight a few of them for you this evening.
In northeast Montana, for example Sidney residents have put the finishing touches on the Richland Youth Hockey Arena and Community Center. One of those big winds that happen in the east took the old facility down in the mid-90’s.
Since then, the Sidney community has gathered and invested three-quarters of a million dollars to rebuild this facility. The rebuilding has involved funding from our state tourism program, local government investment, local fundraisers and loyal supporters.
One of the highlights for the Sidney arena was hosting the Junior Gold State Hockey Tournament. I’m not talking about a Montana tournament here…Sidney, Montana was the host facility for the three-day North Dakota Junior Gold State Hockey Tournament.
And, I should note that, in addition to hosting the tournament, the Sidney’s Richland Rangers hockey team actually won the North Dakota Tournament as well!
As part of their tourism efforts, Sidney’s leaders are looking for more North Dakota -- and Montana -- events to host at this facility as part of their tourism development efforts.
In the southeast, the annual Powder River Cattle Drive & Wagon Train brings in visitors from around the world to the Broadus area. These visitors see Montana from horseback.
They learn about Montana ranching, farming, history, lifestyles and they enjoy the food and companionship of some of the friendliest people on this earth. The area ranchers who host the wagon train also gain from this event.
There’s economic gain, but even more importantly, there is the chance to educate people about living on the land, to share their thoughts, ideas, concerns and interests with people from other cultures, other lifestyles, and other areas of the world.
In South-Central Montana, communities along the Beartooth Highway – Red Lodge, Cooke City, Silver Gate – are working with their federal and state agency partners to benefit from that highway’s recent national recognition as an All American Roadway.
These communities are using the national focus to improve visitor and resident facilities within their communities. They are using it to develop facilities that tell their local stories, their history, and their goals.
Through these improvements they are focused on using tourism as a way to help their economy and the quality of life services enjoyed by both visitors, and residents alike.
In Central Montana, Fort Benton, Montana’s Historical Heartland is expanding its agriculture base to include tourism.
The historic Grand Union Hotel is back in business in a glorious way. Earlier this winter, I stopped in to see the hotel, and can tell you it is fully remodeled, wonderfully decorated, and complete with a full service restaurant.
The Old Fort Benton trading post is being rebuilt to tell the story not only of fur trappers and traders in Montana’s younger days, but the story of the Blackfeet Nation whose traditional territory included this area and whose ties with the trading post were strong.
In between the fort and the Grand Union, the Missouri River Levee Park is a beautifully designed outdoor interpretive center telling the Fort Benton story, the Montana Story.
As the gateway to the wild and scenic Missouri River, an important point upon the Lewis & Clark Trail and the Old Forts Trail connecting Montana and Canada, Fort Benton has and is using tourism as a way to celebrate its history, and increase Montana’s recognition as an attractive and active visitors destination.
The Fort Benton community has also served as a catalyst for others around Montana’s Golden Triangle – north central Montana. Communities within this region are currently at work on developing cultural tourism corridors along the areas traditional travel routes.
These corridors will invite visitors – Montanans and non-residents alike – to visit the natural and historic resources of the area and partake in the rich and varied arts and cultural products produced here by the same folks who till the land and raise the livestock -- the wheat weavers and painters, the photographers and wood carvers, the horse shoe sculptors, the fiber artists, the basket makers and more.
The Cultural Tourism Corridor project here is just beginning, and is focused on helping our Montana communities tell their stories, while inviting our millions of visitors to help support and nurture the artists, crafts people and the agricultural economies of our north central Montana communities.
To our southwest, Montana’s former silver mining mecca – Phillipsburg, has a new precious resource it’s marketing: itself.
It’s inviting the state and the world to come see the fresh and vibrant look of its restored and improved historic downtown, to enjoy and make purchases at its visitor friendly shops, participate in its great events.
And Phillipsburg is not being selfish in this endeavor. It is using its tourism draw to benefit not only itself, but also the region. It is helping its neighbors with cooperative ventures and promotions – they are working to share the wealth….the tourism wealth.
And finally, in the west, Missoula – recognized by American Heritage Magazine as a Great American Place…is working to capitalize on its rich variety of culture, industry, natural beauty, and its role as a regional trade center.
Its active arts and culture community is looking at how they -- through tourism -- can help add value to the local economic and social structure.
They too are looking beyond their borders to see how the attraction of Missoula can be tied into day trips and loop tours to the other valley communities surrounding them.
Through tourism, they are working with their neighbors to see how they can share the wealth….a common theme for statewide success that our tourism and recreation industry is using…and others can as well.
These are just a few examples of how the regional approach is paying off for our state and its people. I hope you take the time to learn from these unique projects to bring back ideas that may work in your own hometowns and communities.
Again, thank you for the work you do. Thank you for making Montana strong – for our communities – and our families.
As I conclude, I ask that all of us keep our troops in our hearts and minds. Montana men and women have been deployed, and while we’re enjoying each other’s company, we need to keep our troops in our thoughts and prayers.
Good evening, and may God Bless Montana and these United States.
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