There’s a popular saying that insists “you can’t eat the scenery,” but local business owners, tourism officials, members of local government and curious Flathead residents gathered last week to figure out how to do just that as Glacier National Park’s centennial celebrations start picking up pace.
The Flathead Valley Economic Summit, sponsored by Pam Holmquist, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and Flathead County Commissioner Jim Dupont, sought to spark ideas about how the Flathead’s economy can best benefit from the centennial.
Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher hosted the event, saying that businesses and cities need to maximize the tourism opportunities presented during the centennial to help get the economy back on track.
It’s up to the cities and businesses to help themselves, Fisher stressed, and the time to start is now.
“I don’t think we can sit back and wait for our federal government to fix everything or wait for the next big industry,” Fisher told a crowd of more than 50 people gathered at the Hampton Inn in Kalispell. “Tourism is one of the only industries in our economy that is either stable or growing.”
Fisher also noted the importance of working together as a community to help bolster the economy now instead of waiting for other opportunities to present themselves.
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Rhonda Fitzgerald, who serves on the state tourism council, discusses the “Montana brand” during the Flathead Valley Economic Summit at the Hampton Inn in Kalispell. |
Presenters at the summit included representatives from tourism groups, travel agencies, Glacier National Park and city government. As a member of the state Tourism Advisory Council, Rhonda Fitzgerald emphasized the significant impact tourism has on the local economy.
According to the Institute for Tourism and Research at the University of Montana, nonresident visitors spent over $3 billion on commodities in 2008. The same study also showed that over 42,000 jobs were directly created by the tourism industry in Montana.
Tourists spent the most money on gasoline, followed by restaurants and bars. Retail sales and hotel costs were next on the list. Money spent on these commodities can have a ripple effect in the community, Fitzgerald said.
Glacier Park also had an explosive year with over 2 million visitors, Fitzgerald noted.
“It’s not kind of a sideline fringe thing in Montana,” Fitzgerald said.
Kass Hardy, the park’s centennial coordinator, told audience members how they could get their businesses or cities involved with the centennial events. She said they could apply to use the centennial logo on retail and Web sites and that they could offer to host an event.
Kalispell Downtown Association President Jim Ness spoke about the numerous opportunities for businesses to team up and offer fun activities for tourists drawn to the valley for the centennial.
One example was the Thursday!Fest celebrations held last summer in downtown Kalispell. Ness said the popular outdoor parties helped bring people downtown and increased foot traffic on the sidewalks and in stores along Main Street. The KDA plans on hosting more events to keep people in town, he said
The summit ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the afternoon session set aside for roundtable discussions on transportation issues, advertising and marketing, Canadian marketing opportunities and potential obstacles.
Another underlying theme of the summit was to focus on how the Flathead can help Glacier National Park make the centennial a success by offering well-advertised and structured services.
Holmquist, who is currently running for a seat on the county commission, said she thought the summit was a success and was impressed by the turnout. It was an invite-only event, but the public was welcome to sit in and listen.
She said she agreed to sponsor it because the Flathead needs all the help it can get during the recession.
“Our economy is bad, it’s a tough time,” Holmquist said. “Anything like this that can spur the economy is worthwhile.”
For more information on the Glacier National Park centennial celebration schedule, visit www.glaciercentennial.org.