Report: Montana records 12 million tourists last year

MISSOULA, Mont. – A report by the University of Montana shows the state had about 12 million visitors who spent more than $3 billion last year.

The university’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research released the report on Tuesday that indicates visitor spending supported nearly 34,700 jobs across the state and nearly $2.5 billion in economic activity.

About half of the tourists visited the state from July through September, and two-thirds of all their dollars were spent in areas near Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Institute director Norma Nickerson says the numbers for 2017 are looking promising. Glacier had the highest visitation to the park in July on record, and Yellowstone’s visitation neared breaking its record.