WHAT IS A DESTINATION STEWARDSHIP STRATEGY?
Western Montana’s Glacier Country launched its Destination Stewardship Strategy in 2021 to assess the state of the region’s tourism industry and collaborate with more than 75 communities to proactively plan the Glacier Country region’s marketing, management and evolution over the next decade.
WHY DID WESTERN MONTANA'S GLACIER COUNTRY UNDERTAKE THIS EFFORT?
Western Montana's Glacier Country led this initiative to identify ways to protect, improve and enhance the region’s long-term quality of life and economic vitality. As tourism has grown globally, destinations that have failed to plan for sustainable growth have encountered adverse effects on their community and natural resources. Western Montana continues to see record visitation from travelers. We acknowledge the positive impacts tourism has—increasing the overall quality of life for residents—as well as the pressure tourism add to economic challenges Western Montana already faces, including infrastructure, affordable housing and workforce. With tourism serving as the largest local economic driver outside of agriculture, there is significant interest in how a stronger and smarter tourism industry might help mitigate these impacts. Our Destination Stewardship Strategy serves as a 10-year action plan to guide responsible tourism management and support regional economic health.
WHO WAS INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY?
The Destination Stewardship Strategy was a collaborative effort between Western Montana’s Glacier Country and communities across the region. Throughout the process, the project team engaged hundreds of stakeholders across all eight counties through one-on-one interviews, town halls, focus groups and surveys. Input was gathered from representatives across a range of sectors, including agriculture, small business, land management, arts and culture, education, government, nonprofits and tourism. Resident feedback also played a vital role.
To support this effort, Glacier Country worked with world-renowned destination management experts MMGY NextFactor and Better Destinations. MMGY NextFactor is a global consulting firm specializing in sustainable destination growth, while Better Destinations focuses on maximizing the benefits of tourism while mitigating potential impacts.
WHAT WAS THE PROCESS AND TIMELINE?
The comprehensive Destination Stewardship Strategy process took 13 months. A detailed project work plan and calendar can be viewed on the DSS Project Timeline page.
WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS?
As a community-driven process, the Destination Stewardship Strategy benefits the residents of the eight-county region known as Glacier Country. By proactively mapping the future of our destination over the next 10 years, we can protect our quality of life and plan for sustainable economic growth.
WHO PAID FOR THIS?
The Destination Management Strategy was privately funded by Western Montana's Glacier Country. We are recognized as the official destination marketing and management organization (DO) for Western Montana and are funded in part by the state accommodations tax (bed tax) and by private partnership funds. Our region includes Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders counties.
WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE FINAL RESULTS?
We committed to transparency throughout the process and shared updates and final results with the public. These are posted on our website and have been distributed through community channels and media outreach.