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Cody tourism rebounds after slow start
By Anthony McConnell
This document was published online on Wednesday, July 02, 2008
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| A rain storm Tuesday night didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd at the Cody Stampede Rodeo. (Photo by Ken Blackbird) |
Despite the steep rise in fuel prices, the summer tourism season in Cody Country is recovering from a slow start.
“It's erratic, but we're not that far off last year,” Irma Hotel owner John Darby said.
Heavy rainfall and cool weather throughout May made for a slow beginning.
“We've almost caught up with last year,” Cody Trolley Tours owner Mike Johnson says. “The last two weeks have been real strong.”
Rider numbers are down about 8 percent from last year, which was “abnormally busy,” Johnson said. “It's getting better. We should be back to normal in a few weeks.”
Also impacted by the poor weather was Yellowstone Park, which saw an 7.3 percent drop in overall park visitation through May. But East Entrance numbers are down 2 percent this year.
“We are down compared to the record year we had in 2007,” park spokesman Al Nash said. “But we're on track with where we have been in other previous years.”
The Northeast Entrance has taken the biggest hit - down about 55 percent.
In May, “you could have measured the time Beartooth Pass was open in hours, not days,” Nash said. “But things are looking good now.
“Yellowstone isn't a place people just drop by,” he added. “Yellowstone represents that quintessential once-in-a-lifetime family vacation. People plan for a long time to visit the park.”
He added that the entire park is open, with the exception of a few backcountry camp sites which are expected to open this week.
Pahaska Tepee owner Bob Coe says this year is “on par” with 2007.
“May was typical,” he said. “Last year was the first time we've had a good June in a long time and this year is following in its footsteps.”
Even with the strong start, “July reservations are kind of iffy, but they're starting to come in,” Coe said. “I expect this summer to be decent.”
The Cody Nite Rodeo also is rebounding from a slow start.
“The numbers were down the first 10 days, but that was because of the weather,” rodeo contractor Nicki Tate says. “But the nights we've had good weather we've been ahead of last year.
“We're averaging 40-50 more people each night,” she added. “And they're spending money in the store and with the bull, so it's looking good again.”
May visitation at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center was about even with last May, but the museum is down about 10 percent for the year.
In 2006-07 the BBHC offered special rates during the winter to attract more people, but those rates were not offered this winter.
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slumbergal wrote on Jul 7, 2008 7:53 PM:
Don't "sugar coat" the truth. Most businesses, excluding the "big" hotels, campgrounds and Wal-Mart, are down 50%!!! "