WCVB uses grant to retool website

Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau has been selected to receive a $30,000 grant from the Montana Office of Tourism to help develop its tourism e-marketing projects. Whitefish is one of nine cities in the state to be awarded $150,000 in total grant funding.

Whitefish will use the grant to develop a responsive web design for www.explorewhitefish.com, the WCVB’s website. Responsive design allows a site to display differently depending on the type of device being used by the visitor, whether it’s a laptop computer, smartphone or tablet.

“Most of the people we invite to come to Whitefish are tech savvy and like using their mobile phones and iPads online,” WCVB director Jan Metzmaker said. “This will serve up the information about Whitefish in a way that is easy to read.”

Metzmaker says that the website is the first impression most potential visitors have of Whitefish. It’s important to grab and keep their attention online, she said, or else they will quickly move on.

“There are so many different ways to get information today,” Metzmaker said. “Responsive design helps keeps them on our site.”

“There’s always the preconceived notion that Montana is this rural place without computers. We like to show potential visitors that we are with it.”

Montana Office of Tourism Administrator Jeri Duran says business these days revolves around the digital world.

“Mobile usage is growing at 14 times the rate of online usage and online usage is still a growing market,” she said. “Our tourism partners recognize this reality and we are excited to see these projects come to fruition through the assistance of our e-marketing grants.”