Montanans Real Feelings On Tourism Revealed. The Results May Shock You.

When it comes to tourism, many Montanans have strong opinions.

The fact is that tourism is a significant business here in Big Sky Country, and many people rely on those tourism dollars to make a living. In case you were wondering, tourism generated approximately $ 5 billion for the state's economy last year. What does that mean for us?

Well, according to the statistics, that means we pay less in taxes. I bring this up because, according to a new YouGov survey, Montanans have mixed feelings on tourism.

READ MORE: Two Montana towns named among the best in the country for "staycations"

Before we dive into the numbers, let's check out some great places to visit just outside of Montana.

Is Montana tourist tourist-friendly state?

The stats are broken down into categories, including region. Since we're in the western part of the country, we looked into that area. The question that was asked was, "Do you think an increase in tourism in the area where you live would be...". The following are the results:

• A good thing, 41 percent
• A bad thing, 13 percent
• Equally good and bad, 32 percent
• Not sure, 15 percent

So, it seems that the majority of Montanans are all about increased tourism.

It's also important to keep in mind that many of the "complainers" take to the internet to go on and on about how tourists are ruining the state. These are also the people who complain about paying too much in taxes. (I get that part, no one likes taxes)

I would make the tourists pay for more things. Speaking of taxes, I would add some sort of destination tax so that folks who come here are paying even more. It doesn't have to be a huge amount, but when you consider that millions of folks come here each year, all of that money adds up.

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What do you think? Are you ok with more tourists coming to Montana? Yay or nay? Let us know by sending us a message on our app.