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Glacier Country Tourism Awards Regional VIC Grants

May 12, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Glacier Country Tourism Awards Regional VIC Grants: $58,000 distributed to seven Visitor Information Centers

Missoula, MT – Glacier Country Tourism, the officially recognized marketing, management and stewardship organization for Western Montana, recently awarded $58,000 to seven visitor information centers throughout the region.  The following VICs were awarded grants:

Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce –$10,000

Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce –$10,000

Cut Bank Area Chamber of Commerce –$8,000

Libby Area Chamber of Commerce –$8,000

Polson Chamber of Commerce –$6,000

Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitor Center –$8,000

Whitefish Area Chamber of Commerce –$8,000

Glacier Country Tourism has long supported community-based visitor information centers (VICs) with training and financial assistance. “Studies show community-based VICs are more likely to be used by first-time visitors traveling to an area,” said Glacier Country Tourism president and CEO, Racene Friede. “Visitors who use VICs spend more time in the community and are more likely to stay longer, experience more of what that community has to offer and have an overall better experience. VICs do a great job in terms of influencing visitors and helping them learn about what there is to see and do in Glacier Country communities—this is money well spent for us.”

According to Friede, the purpose of the VIC grants is to supplement qualified visitor information center programs with paid and/or volunteer staff positions to operate their centers.

Chambers of commerce, economic development corporations/authorities, tourism improvement districts and visitor information centers within the Glacier Country region are eligible for this program. Geographically, Glacier Country includes Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders counties.