Tourism in Montana dropped sharply in 2020, but recovery is going strong By: Dennis Bragg and last updated 2021-06-09 10:02:53-04 MISSOULA â While Montana's tourism industry had its worst year in five years in 2020, travelers' desire for the wide-open spaces is helping to lead to a strong recovery. The news was dire a year ago, as COVID-19 lockdowns slashed tourist reservations indicating Montana would be a very lonely place during the travel season. But as we know now, the pent-up demand to recreate while still being "socially distanced" played in our favor. And while tourism was down 12%, other states fared far worse.