Wildland-influenced Economic Impacts of Nonresident Travel on Portal Communities: The Case of Missoula, Montana

Abstract

This article examined the wildland-influenced economic impacts of nonresident travel on portal communities next to wildland areas. The case community study was Missoula, Montana. The results suggest that the economic impact of wildland-related travel on portal communities is as great as or greater than nonwildland-related travel. Wildland users and nonwildland users had similar lengths of stay in Missoula and near equal daily expenditures, but wildland travelers' overall length of stay in Montana was about 2.5 times higher.