Glacier Country holds tourism meetings
Glacier Country Tourism, the officially recognized tourism region for Western Montana, is inviting the public to participate in townhall meetings and survey to help guide the future of tourism in Western Montana.
“Tourism continues to play a significant role in the future prosperity of our region,” says Racene Friede, President & CEO of Glacier Country Tourism. “However, we must be thoughtful about how the quality of the visitor experience can be balanced with the quality of life for residents; about the types of visitors who would provide maximum financial value to our local communities while having the optimal social and environmental impact, and how we can responsibly grow our tourism industry for the benefit of all in our communities.”
The meetings and survey are part of the development of a Destination Stewardship Plan for the eight-county region (Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders counties). The planning will engage residents, community leaders, public officials, and industry stakeholders over a 12-month process. The plan will create a strategic vision for the future of Glacier Country’s visitor economy to ensure its economic sustainability while preserving the quality of life for residents and quality of place.
An in-person town hall meeting for Flathead County will be Thursday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Cedar Creek Lodge in Columbia Falls. The meeting will give residents the chance to
discuss gaps and opportunities with regards to the region’s tourism and visitor economy.
A virtual town hall for Flathead County will be conducted on Thursday, Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon. The town hall meeting schedule and registration can be found at glaciermt.com/town-hall.
The online survey is open to anyone who lives in the Glacier Country Tourism counties, and will identify and gauge residents’ perceptions on a variety of key characteristics with respect to livability, culture, economy and sense of place. The survey can be accessed at glaciermt.com/resident-survey.