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East gate leads surge in Cody tourism
By Carole Cloudwalker
This document was published online on Monday, August 06, 2007
While it may cost travelers $50 or more to fill their SUVs with gas this summer, many tourism indicators are up sharply in Cody Country.
That's the word from area travel experts including Claudia Wade, marketing director for the Park County Travel Council.
And despite gas prices, visitation gains in Yellowstone Park continued at a near-double-digit pace in July, with the East Entrance leading a way with a total of 102,784 recreational visitors, up 38 percent from June, which in turn saw a 36 percent rise from the same time last year.
“Gas prices have never affected us,” Wade said last week. “Folks plan vacations to Yellowstone and they start planning far out. They will not cancel vacations (because of high gas prices). But they may make changes in how they spend their money.”
For example, she said more travelers' meals may be purchased from fast food chains than in sit-down restaurants where tips are expected. And tourists also “may not buy expensive Indian rugs” or other upscale souvenirs so they have money for gasoline.
But they're still vacationing.
And even with the arrival of more thrifty travelers, many businesses and “most Cody restaurants say they are doing well” this summer, Wade added.
That is, of course, tied to visitation in Yellowstone Park, where parkwide visitation was up 9.4 percent in July from one year ago, and year-to-date travel is up 8.8 percent in 2007.
Year-to-date through July, the East Entrance drew 208,295 visitors, up 31 percent from last year.
In July alone, a total of 102,784 visitors passed through the east gate, an increase of 38 percent from July 2006 visitation.
Meanwhile, the north gate in July drew 110,498 visitors, down about 5 percent, while the west gate saw 345,075 in July, up 11 percent.
The south gate drew 197,737, up 5.6 percent, and the northeast gate in July saw 52,507 visitors, up 3 percent.
Through June the east gate had been posting a 36 percent increase (77,377 visitors) compared to 2006 (56,676), according to Park Service information.
Likewise, through June the north gate was up 9.6 percent (to 91,684 visitors), the west gate was up 4.8 percent (250,955 this year), an 8.7 percent increase wa s recorded through the South Entrance (to 151,282), with a 0.5 percent increase through the northeast gate (to 38,307 visitors this year.)
Ardythe Wendt of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the concessionaire in Yellowstone, agrees with Wade that people who book rooms and plan vacations well in advance are unlikely to change their plans because of gas prices.
“They won't give up their vacations,” she says. “But they will optimize their spending.”
Wendt also speculated that Xanterra's new policy of allowing on-line reservations has helped bookings. So did adding a toll-free number (1-866-geyserland, or 866-7375), which was only available for part of 2006.
Xanterra general manager Jim McCaleb said 2007 “has been a really solid summer,” adding his company has been “enjoying increased visitor numbers.”
He estimates the company's lodging, meals and gift shop sales are up 3-4 percent.
Gift shop sales may be slightly softer this summer because gas costs more and people only have so much money to spend, but in general “we haven't seen a negative effect from high gas prices,” McCaleb added.
Closer to home, year-to-date in 2007 a total of 49,579 Cody Nite Rodeo tickets have been sold, representing an increase of 8 percent from 2006, Wade said.
Traffic at the Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor Center is up 22 percent from 2006, with a year-to-date total through the end of July of 45,148 visitors, compared to 37,025 last year.
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center recorded 10,800 more visitors (an increase of just under 10 percent) through July 31 from last year, Public Affairs Director Lee Haines says.
That translates to some 120,000 visitors to the BBHC through July 2007, he said.
In 2006 the BBHC drew 110,011 visitors in the same period.
“We're happy with traffic this year,” Haines added. “People have gotten used to the high gas prices.”
His view is that $3 gas “was more of a psychological barrier” last summer.
The BBHC is conducting surveys this season about travelers' reasons for coming to Cody and for visiting - or not visiting - the BBHC.
“And we collect zip codes” to create a demographic of typical visitors to the museum, he added.
The pattern from past years seems to be high numbers of travelers from California (about 10 percent of the total), followed by many from Wyoming and Montana as well as the Midwest and Texas.
He added that surveys now being taken should help BBHC managers determine just which museum attractions are the biggest draws. Some changes, such as tweaking gate prices, might be considered after survey results are tabulated, he added.
At the Irma Hotel, co-owner Mike Darby estimates business is up 10-15 percent this year.
He also co-owns the Buffalo Bill Antler Inn on 17th Street and Cody Motor Inn on Sheridan Avenue, and the same increase seems true there.
Factors Darby attributes include “the park road nearing completion” and the work of Wade and the PCTC.
“Her hard work is really paying off,” Darby added.
He says in some ways higher gas prices may even have helped tourism this year.
“We're halfway between the coasts, and people just stop in Yellowstone,” Darby said.
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DewD wrote on Aug 7, 2007 10:21 AM: