Plan could look at future of tourism here

How much tourism is too much? How does Whitefish prevent the over development of town and preserve the character that draws visitors here?

These are among the questions facing the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau as it continues to promote and bring visitors to Whitefish.

“At the WCVB tourism is a respected portion of our economy, but we don’t want it to be the sole driver of our community,” Dylan Boyle, executive director for the WCVB said. “We need to see where we want the economy to go.”

In order to plan for the future of Whitefish, the WCVB is proposing to create a tourism master plan. More than 600,000 nonresident visitors spent at least one night in Whitefish in 2015, according to the WCVB.

Jen Frandsen, an owner of Old Town Creative, which serves as the creative agency for the WCVB, explained the development of the master plan would likely involve a committee made up of several community members to bring in a multitude of ideas to create a vision for the city.

“This is a 10- to 20-year outlook,” she said. “This is where we want to be and where we don’t want to be.”

Boyle says the city is already facing issues right now directly related to increased tourism growth — housing, transportation, infrastructure and quality of life — and these issues need a long-term outlook that relates to both population growth and visitation.

The WCVB pitched its idea of creating a tourism master plan last week to the Whitefish City Council, who gave it an OK to move forward with the concept.

“We look favorably on working on a plan with you,” Mayor John Muhlfeld said.

The WCVB proposes creating a tourism master plan committee by the end of the year, advertising a request for proposal in June 2018 for a professional planner to assist in the project and presenting a final master plan to City Council for approval in December 2018.

The plan would likely cover three main areas, according to the WCVB.

First, preserving the quality of life in Whitefish by making sure “residents are living in a place that feels welcoming and like home, not just a pretty place for visitors.” This would mean creating a vision of the desired qualities for Whitefish and what is important to retain or enhance.

Second, it would look at improving the economic benefits of tourism. This would mean looking to minimize impacts from visitors, while still supporting business and economic growth.

Third, improving the visitor experience by clearly defining the tourism experience in Whitefish that is being promoted and look at how that might grow or be enhanced. This includes looking at transportation planning for air service, parking or bus service.

The plan would also likely define how tourism and the city can better work together to support sustainable growth.

Boyle said as marketing brings visitors to Whitefish it’s important to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support those visitors.

“We market Whitefish as a premiere town with access the outdoors and a vibrant town,” he said. “When visitors get here we want to make sure that is here — that means making sure there is lodging, restaurants and retail. From the city’s side, they have to have the infrastructure in place to support that.”

Once visitors travel to Whitefish, the goal is to get them to return, notes Boyle.

“Of our visitors 25 percent are first-time visitors, which means most are repeat visitors,” he said. “We want to fulfill the promises we’ve made and don’t lose those repeat visitors because they are critical.”

While many Montana towns have created downtown master plans that include elements of tourism, Boyle said Big Sky is the only community he is aware of that has had serious conversations about how to pursue a tourism master plan.

The WCVB already completes an annual marketing plan and budget, but says a master plan would be a guiding document that keeps that plan on track.

When it comes to marketing the city, WCVB puts its emphasis on the winter, fall and spring season. The bulk of its marketing budget — about 60 percent — goes to the winter ski season.

July through September of 2015 accounted for more than half of the total state bed tax collections from Whitefish for the year.

“If you ask businesses owners if they have enough business the answer is no,” Frandsen said. “They will say we need to push business to other months [besides summer].”