Big Sky Tourism Strong Despite Militia Talk Some Callers Indicate Concern For Hot Spots, Like Ravalli County

Montana’s tough-talking antigovernment types are well-known around the nation now, but tourism officials say they are not scaring away the state’s growing waves of visitors.

Not many, at least.

“I’m a little bit surprised,” said Victor Bjornberg, spokesman for Travel Montana. “The militia issue has not caused people to call us and express concern.”

Most state officials and people in travel businesses agree - but not all.

Jack Wemple, who owns a guest ranch near Victor, in Ravalli County, recently found himself assuring prospective clients from California that Montana is a safe place to vacation.

“There are people who are concerned,” he said. “It’s real tense up here, and that’s what people are worried about.”

Some of the state’s tensest confrontations have been in Ravalli County.

“It hadn’t crossed my mind that this could hurt business,” said Wemple’s son, Rick, a coowner in the business.

There is a lot of business to hurt. Travel Montana predicts 8 million people will visit the state this year, up 300,000 from last year. They spent $1.2 billion last year.

National attention to Montana’s militia groups, freemen and constitutionalists will eventually be placed “in its rightful context,” Gov. Marc Racicot said.

“It’s something we certainly need to be vigilant about, but I don’t believe it’s having a deterrent effect” on tourism, he said.

Away from the militia hot spots, tourismrelated business people are even more bullish.

“The people coming her for our business wouldn’t care if the whole state was gone as long as they could find the river to fish,” said Dan Kelly, manager of Missouri River Outfitters in Wolf Creek. “They’re more worried about drought conditions and water levels.”

Bill Bryan, owner of a Bozeman tour service, said he has received a couple of calls from people worried about militia activity, but no trips have been canceled. He sees no impact on his business from the national news reports, and in fact says his business is better than ever.

“I just expected people were going to express more concern around that issue,” Bryan said. “I think perhaps it’s viewed in the rest of the country as not as big a deal as it is to some of us who live here.”

Bjornberg said the state Senate’s debate over gay and lesbian rights this spring generated more out-of-state calls and letters to the tourism office than did the militia problems.

The Senate triggered a national uproar in March when Republicans voted to include “convicted” homosexuals in a law requiring sexual offenders to register for life with law enforcement officials.

The proposal almost instantly made front pages and television news and talk shows all across the country. Republican senators reversed their decision after Racicot said he would veto the bill.

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