Harlowton, Helena and Rocky Boy Reservation Selected For Montana’s 2004/2005 Community Tourism Assessment Program

The communities of Harlowton, Helena and the Rocky Boy Reservation have been selected to participate in a 9-month long assessment process designed to help Montana communities determine how tourism can help diversify and expand their area economy. The tourism assessment program is offered to communities through the Montana Commerce Department’s Promotion Division, MSU Extension and the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR).

“Over the last dozen years, 32 Montana communities have used this process to better understand the role tourism plays in the economic vitality of their area,” said Mark Simonich, Director, Montana Commerce Department. “Harlowton, Helena and the Chippewa Cree Tribe now have the opportunity to use the resources provided by CTAP to develop plans and projects to help local businesses and create new jobs.”

The Montana Community Tourism Assessment Program (CTAP) is a community "self help" program developed to assist communities identify what role, if any, tourism can play in strengthening local economies. The Montana Commerce Department’s Promotion Division and MSU Extension provide the process facilitators while the ITRR provides research services.

Through CTAP, a community follows a 9-month process of analysis, assessment, and evaluation. The process begins with a detailed program introduction and community organization. For Harlowton, Helena and the Rocky Boy Reservation the initial CTAP meeting will take place in September. The process continues with a comprehensive analysis of the community’s current economic structure, its assets, resident attitudes toward tourism, area lifestyles, marketing, and the community’s existing and potential tourism resources.

After the initial analysis, the community and its assessment partners identify potential tourism products that can be developed in the area. They then determine the social, economic and environmental impacts, positive and negative, that are expected to result from this product development. Once the analysis and assessments are completed, the community determines what tourism‑related projects, if any, should be pursued.

Tourism is one of Montana’s leading basic industries. In 2003, 9.67 million people visited Montana spending more than $1.87 billion during their stay. This visitor spending created a $3 billion benefit for Montana’s economy. Montana’s tourism industry has an annual payroll of $413 million and directly involves 27,640 Montana jobs.

The contacts for the 2004/2005 CTAP communities are:

Rocky Boy Reservation: Jason Belcourt, Coordinator, Rocky Boy Tourism, RR1,

Box 542, Box Elder, MT 59521, 395-4207

Helena: Mike Mergenthaler, Director, Helena Area Chamber of Commerce

Convention & Visitors Bureau, 225 Cruse Avenue, Helena, MT

59601, 442-4120, [email protected] ; Paul

Putz, Helena/Lewis & Clark County Historical Preservation

Office, Box 1724, Helena, MT 59624, 447-8357,

[email protected]

Harlowton: Teri Sell, Harlowton Chamber of Commerce, Box 694, Harlowton,

MT 59036, 632-4694; Mandie Reed, Wheatland County Extension

Office, Box 733, Harlowton, MT 59036, 632-4728.

Since the CTAP process was created in 1991, 32 Montana communities have participated in it. The CTAP graduates include:

· 1991-1993 CTAP Pilot Project Community: Choteau

· 1994-1995 CTAP Communities: Glendive, Lewistown, Libby

· 1995-1996 CTAP Communities: Bitterroot Valley/Hamilton, Fort Belknap, Three Forks

· 1996-1997 CTAP Communities: Deer Lodge, Glacier County/Blackfeet Nation, Livingston, Northern Cheyenne Tribe

· 1997-1998 CTAP Communities: Broadus, Havre, Laurel

· 1998-1999 CTAP Communities: Anaconda/Deer Lodge County, Dillon, Hardin

· 1999-2000 CTAP Communities: Glasgow, Red Lodge, Whitehall

· 2000-2001 CTAP Communities: Fort Peck Reservation, Miles City, Pondera County

· 2001-2002 CTAP Communities: Kalispell, Malta, White Sulphur Springs

· 2002-2003 CTAP Communities: Eureka, Sanders County, St. Ignatius

· 2003-2004 CTAP Communities: Crow Reservation, Great Falls, Wibaux

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Survey will explore tourism growth

By JOHN HARRINGTON – IR Business Editor –

http://helenair.com/articles/2004/08/24/helena/a01082404_03.txt

Should Helena more actively market itself as a tourist destination? And if so, what aspects of life here should we sell to outsiders — our burgeoning arts community? Our rich Western history? Or our plentiful outdoor recreation?

Those questions and more will be asked around town for the next nine months, as Helena is one of three Montana communities selected to take part this year in an assessment process that will help determine how tourism can be used to diversify and expand the local economy.

The assessment will consist of a survey of several hundred citizens to learn Helena’s feelings about tourism, plus a series of monthly meetings with around 30 players from the civic and business communities to develop ideas and strategies.

"This is something I think we’ve needed for a long time," said Helena Area Chamber of Commerce president Cathy Burwell. "We need to pull some partnership into tourism planning so we can make sure we get our share of the pie."

The Montana Community Tourism Assessment Program, started in the early ’90s, is offered by the Department of Commerce’s Promotion Division, the MSU Extension and the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Resource at the University of Montana.

Those groups each send experts to Helena to run the meetings and guide the city toward a tourism plan.

"We’re inviting in a highly trained set of professionals, people very familiar with Montana and how to approach the question of tourism development," said Paul Putz, the city/county historic preservation officer. In nine months, "we should have a good, solid start in terms of what to do to enhance tourism, and to do it in a way that’s compatible with the interests of the community."

The Commerce Department offers the assessments to three communities each year. The others kicking off the process next month are Harlowton and the Rocky Boy Reservation.

Traditionally, the assessments have been conducted in smaller communities, but last year, Great Falls took part. The Electric City is nearing completion of the process, and Janet Medina of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce said it’s been a worthwhile exercise.

"It helped us understand that our community does support tourism," she said, noting that the assessment brought people to the table who previously hadn’t been called on to help develop the city’s tourism economy.

At the end of the assessment, Helena can apply for a matching Commerce Department grant of up to $10,000 for an infrastructure improvement identified in the study. Great Falls is using the grant for improved signage around town in anticipation of next summer’s Lewis and Clark signature event, Medina said.

Burwell said that while snagging tourists on their way between Yellowstone and Glacier national parks is nice, Helena needs to find ways to market itself as a destination and get visitors to stick around for a few days.

"People think of us as just a government town. They don’t think of us for tourism," she said. "But this is a great tourist town, we just need to figure out how to market it."

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or [email protected].