From a Montana base, MSU Professor Dave Snepenger helps explain tourist behavior

Dave Snepenger’s work is to study how people play.

Snepenger, a professor of marketing at Montana State University, has built an international reputation in the study of tourism while based in the Last Best Place. As a result of his research, scholars have learned more about the tourist behavior around the world through their experiences visiting the Big Sky.

"This is a wonderful place to do tourism research," acknowledges Snepenger, who was inducted into the elite 63-member International Academy for the Study of Tourism in Beijing last summer.

While his research has been used to promote tourism in Montana and help communities around the state develop their tourism industry, much of Snepenger’s work has centered on downtown Bozeman, which he believes is not only healthy but an optimum place for both tourists and community.

"Bozeman’s downtown is so intriguing," Snepenger said. "It serves tourists and locals with a mix of retail offerings that a town like this wouldn’t have except for the tourists."

by Carol Schmidt, MSU News Service

Full Story: http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=3102