COURTESY OF CHIEF JOSEPH RANCH
Bring Pop Culture Fantasies to Life
DO YOUR RESEARCH “ It ’ s important to qualify a client on their requested destination to ensure it ’ s going to give them the experience they desire from hotels to their local experiences ,” said Zwissler . “ If a client mentions a film , it ’ s definitely helpful to watch at least a portion and / or research what takes place in the film to ( understand ) what ’ s attracting the client as oftentimes the client just replies to the ‘ why ’ they want to visit ( the destination ) very generally .”
STAY CLOSE TO THE ACTION “ Staying in the same hotel that is on TV or one nearby — depending on budget — is key so the clients can see the places where the TV show / movie was filmed along with participating in activities or exploring the restaurants and bars that were featured ,” said Zwissler .
SNEHIT PHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCKCOM
YELLOWSTONE After summoning the eyeballs of 12.1 million viewers during its 2022 season five premiere , TV ’ s newfangled western hit “ Yellowstone ” has done wonders for Montana ’ s marketing efforts . Centered around the ranch-owning Dutton family , the popular series explores themes of corruption , romance and family drama while immersing viewers in the fabulously scenic world of the American West . “ Yellowstone ” is so scenic in fact that it spurred a subcategory within the setjetting phenomena referred to as “ cowboycations ” — vacations inspired by ranch life , horseshoes and nights spent under the stars . Yee haw .
The impact of the show and the film production spending associated with it throughout the state of Montana is not to be understated . According to a 2023 study from the University of Montana , spending associated with “ Yellowstone ” has accounted for $ 730.1 million to the state ’ s economy , more than 10,200 jobs , $ 376 million in income received by Montana households and more . Additionally , and perhaps most interestingly from a travel professional ’ s point of view , the show inspired more than one million visitors to vacation in Montana in 2021 .
As for pitstops during their “ Yellowstone ” - inspired cowboy-cation , travelers can visit several prominent filming spots including Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby , Montana ( aka the real-life Yellowstone Ranch ); The Outlaw Saloon and Ogden Pioneer Stadium in Ogden , Utah ; Promontory Point ’ s Nicklaus Clubhouse in Park City , Utah ; The Missoula County Courthouse in Missoula , Montana and Crow Indian Reservation .
SUMMER 2023 / THE COMPASS / 49