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This quarter Glacier Country’s Director of Communications, Lucy Beighle, assisted in the creation and launch of a new on-line crisis communication course. Don’t Add Fuel to the Fire is a free, 30-minute course designed for Western Montana visitor-centric businesses and front-end staff who may receive questions about wildland fire and smoke conditions. 45 individuals have completed the training, and the press release announcing the programs creation was picked up by six publications throughout Montana.
FY 2024 Earned Media numbers were finalized at over $8.7 million in total publicity value. Last year 72 articles were created from media trips, interviews, press releases and assistance Lucy provided to media. With the new FY 2025 beginning, Western Montana continues to be featured in blogs and articles, and oftentimes with a Recreate Responsibly or sustainability component to the feature. Upcoming media trips include Kristen Maxwell @KidsAreATrip and Meagan Wristen @MommyTravels. In October, Lucy will attend the Outdoor Media Summit and co-host a pre-FAM for journalists with Destination Missoula. Partners interested in hosting media or showcasing their business can reach out to Lucy at lucy@glaciermt.com for potential inclusion in a FAM or media trip.
Debbie Picard, our Director of Sales, has been actively showcasing Western Montana as a premier destination for retreats, meetings and events. In July, she attended Meetings Today LIVE in Boise, Idaho, where she connected with meeting planners, many of whom were unfamiliar with the Mountain West and were exploring destinations like Boise for future meetings. Additionally, Debbie responded to a dozen requests for proposal (RFPs) this quarter. We're also pleased to announce that Western Montana’s Glacier Country was nominated for Prevue’s 2024 Visionary Award.
The demand for domestic group tours in Western Montana remains strong, with July through September marking the peak of the motorcoach tour season. While we aim to provide itinerary assistance in advance, this year saw an increase in last-minute requests from tour operators needing support while on the ground. We're committed to ensuring these tours run smoothly and providing referrals to our Glacier Country partners whenever possible.
Debbie continued her engagement with international tour operators, focusing on fly-drive itineraries that incorporate western states, including Montana. This ongoing effort helps position our region as a key part of broader travel experiences.
We value your partnership and are eager to collaborate further. For more information on how your business can benefit from these markets, please contact Debbie at debbie@glaciermt.com.
It was a busy quarter! Western Montana’s Glacier Country’s Director of Communications, Lucy Beighle, worked with numerous journalists and content creators on stories about the region, including hosting a number of them on the ground. Rob Annis, whose work includes articles in Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine, came to Glacier Country via Amtrak in June; Sophia Toomb of @TravelersForGood was here focusing on sustainable tourism and what to do that’s not Glacier National Park; and Alex Schnee of @Alexonthemap came with a focus on recreating responsibly.
Lucy attended the three-day Montana Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Missoula in April. IPW was in Los Angeles in May, where she met with 25 international media while connecting with contacts made over the years. In June she went to the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Travel and Tourism Conference in Greenville, SC, which is an invaluable networking and educational annual conference. She also attended the SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) online media marketplace event in June.
Along with Debbie Picard, Lucy hosted a five-day meetings media FAM in June, which included six writers and editors from Meetings Today, Smart Meetings, Prevue, Meetings + Events and Connect Meetings. The purpose of the FAM was to give an overview of Western Montana and the benefits of hosting meetings in the region, and the group spent time in Missoula, Kalispell, Whitefish and Glacier National Park. The responses in the post-trip survey were very gratifying, and we should see a lot of coverage of the area in the upcoming months.
If your business is new or is offering something new and interesting and you’d like us to check it out, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Conversations with media inevitably involve the question “What’s new in your region?” Partners interested in hosting media or showcasing their business can reach out to Lucy at lucy@glaciermt.com for potential inclusion in a FAM or media trip.
Spring is always a busy time for our sales team, and this year was no different. Here are some of the highlights from our efforts in promoting Western Montana's Glacier Country across various B2B markets.
In April, Western Montana’s Glacier Country, in partnership with Discover Kalispell, hosted a Military Reunion FAM (familiarization tour) in Kalispell. Five reunion planners from different military associations across the U.S. were invited to visit and explore Kalispell for future reunions. All of them were impressed by the welcome they received from our resident veterans, and all left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude we all have for those who have served our country. Kalispell shined.
The team has also been championing Western Montana’s allure to international audiences this spring. At International Roundup in Casper, WY, in April and at IPW in Los Angeles, CA, in May, Debbie engaged with international tour operators crafting fly-drive itineraries incorporating Western states. The number of tour operators wanting to learn more about Western Montana underscores the region as a premier destination for international travelers seeking genuine experiences in the heart of nature.
Moreover, our team has been actively advocating Western Montana as a premier location for hosting retreats, meetings and events. In June, we hosted a Meetings Media FAM, inviting content creators for the meetings industry to visit and experience the ease of access and community vibes, along with group activities and venues. The journalists experienced Missoula, Kalispell, Whitefish and Glacier National Park as a backdrop for meetings in Western Montana. All were thoroughly impressed with our laid-back atmosphere, breathtaking scenery and amazing culinary scene.
We welcome your collaboration if you're affiliated with an association or have insights into regional meetings that align with our offerings. Glacier Country partners are invited to contact Debbie at debbie@glaciermt.com to promote your businesses to these markets and more.
Reflecting on the past quarter, our team is excited to share some of the highlights from our efforts in promoting Western Montana's Glacier Country across various group markets.
On the domestic group tour front, Aerionna represented Western Montana at ABA's Marketplace in Nashville, Tennessee, in January. Her interactions with 45 group tour operators reaffirmed the growing demand for rural destinations, fresh mountain air, and immersive experiences within our national parks and beyond. Many tour operators have recognized the value of partnering with receptive operators, finding it more cost-effective and efficient for delivering exceptional client experiences.
The team has been championing Western Montana’s allure to international audiences as well. At the Go West Summit in Tahoe, Nevada, in February, Debbie engaged with international tour operators crafting fly-drive itineraries incorporating western states, drawing special attention to Western Montana. Her presence at this summit underscores Glacier Country’s commitment to showcasing the region as a top destination for international travelers seeking authentic experiences in the heart of nature.
Moreover, Debbie has been actively advocating for the hosting of meetings and events in our region, responding to numerous RFP requests from meeting and retreat planners. The importance of retreats, conventions, and conferences not only contributes to sustained employment opportunities but also fosters economic growth across various sectors, including hospitality, dining, transportation, retail and the arts. If you're affiliated with an association or have insights into regional meetings that align with our offerings, we welcome your collaboration. Glacier Country partners are invited to contact Debbie at debbie@glaciermt.com to become more active in promoting your businesses to these markets.
This quarter Western Montana’s Director of Communications, Lucy Beighle, attended International Media Marketplace in New York City, where she met with 25 international and domestic media. Lucy also attended the Destinations International Marketing and Communication Summit, where the hot topic was the use of AI in the destination arena. The event is attended by 400 PR and Communication professionals from DMOs of varying sizes, providing beneficial networking and discussion opportunities with peers who are experiencing similar opportunities and challenges.
In January, Lucy hosted @TravelingMel for a low-impact, recreate responsibly couple’s winter trip in the Bitterroot Valley. One of the results was a charming Valentine’s guest blog on GlacierMT.com. In February, @SuziontheMove came to the northern part of the region, and between dogsledding in Bigfork, snowshoeing in Glacier National Park and snowmobiling outside Whitefish, showed that February is a fantastic month to visit.
Upcoming shows for Lucy include the Governor’s Conference in Missoula, IPW in LA, and a product verification trip to the Flathead Valley. If your business is new or is offering something new and interesting and you’d like us to check it out, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Conversations with media inevitably involve the question “what’s new in your region?”
Partners interested in hosting media or showcasing their business can reach out to Lucy at lucy@glaciermt.com for potential inclusion in a FAM or media trip.
This quarter Glacier Country’s Director of Communications, Lucy Beighle, hosted a FAM trip in partnership with Destination Missoula. The four-day, shoulder-season trip included six travel writers who hailed from California, Washington, New Mexico and Vancouver. Based out of Missoula, the diverse itinerary included Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort, Double Arrow Lodge, Travelers Rest State Park, Holt Heritage Museum, Garnet Ghost Town and numerous culinary and beverage experiences that represented the region well.
Following the FAM trip, Lucy participated in the Travel and Words Conference that took place in Missoula November 12 – 14. Besides industry-specific speakers, the conference also included appointments with all 27 travel writers in attendance as well as numerous networking opportunities.
At the end of January, Lucy attended IMM (International Media Marketplace) in NYC—her sixth year in attendance. The event is very successful in reinforcing established relationships as well as connecting with new international and domestic media.
Partners interested in hosting media or showcasing their business can reach out to Lucy at lucy@glaciermt.com for potential inclusion in a FAM or media trip.
We have been showcasing the advantages of holding retreats, meetings and conventions in Western Montana. In November, we engaged with meeting planners from across the U.S. at the Smart Meetings and Small and Boutique Meetings conferences and shared the unique appeal of our region. The meetings industry plays a pivotal role in sustaining year-round employment, benefiting not only the hotel sector but also restaurants, retail, activity providers, and Montana's vibrant arts and culture scene. By fostering these meetings and events, we contribute to the overall economic vitality of our communities. The increased demand for airline flights resulting from these events improves accessibility and creates better price points for residents. This, in turn, broadens travel options for those who enjoy exploring destinations beyond our state borders. As a Western Montana's Glacier Country partner, your insights and industry connections are invaluable. If you belong to an association or know of a regional meeting that aligns with our Western Montana offerings, we invite you to reach out. Your collaboration can help us bring more impactful shoulder season meetings and events to Montana. Contact Debbie Picard at debbie@glaciermt.com.
On the domestic group tour front, Aerionna Skrutvold, attended the National Travel Association’s Travel Exchange in Shreveport, LA, Nov. 12 – 14, where she met with 24 domestic tour operators for 7-minute appointments. Demand for rural destinations, fresh mountain air and national park vacations remains strong from group tour clients. Other trends include:
In January, Aerionna also attended ABA’s Marketplace in January and met with 45 tour operators. If you have specific offerings for the group tour market or if there are any changes in your offerings that could be highlighted, please feel free to share more details. Contact Aerionna Skrutvold at aerionna@glaciermt.com.
Western Montana continues to be featured in blogs and articles, and oftentimes with a Recreate Responsibly or sustainability component to the feature. @HoneyTrek visited in September, with a theme of “the romantic and sustainable side of Glacier Country.” @2TravelDads came in October, as did @BonTraveler.
The Western Montana's Glacier Country team attended an educational conference hosted by U.S. Travel in Savannah, Georgia, in August. ESTO includes sessions and tracks for executives, sales, marketing, public relations, and community engagement, so the conference was useful for all of us, and the networking with other professionals in our industry was very valuable.
The Montana chapter of the Public Relations Society of America met in Missoula in October, and Western Montana's Glacier Country played a role in welcoming fellow communication experts while showcasing what we have to offer in the region. If you are interested in having your business showcased in a FAM, we do have a couple on the horizon—contact Lucy Beighle at lucy@glaciermt.com to see if it’s a good fit.
Discover the pulse of Western Montana's business-to-business tourism landscape through our Western Montana's Glacier Country B2B blog, B2B.glaciermt.com, which had an annual viewership of 101,000 in FY 2023. Bimonthly, Western Montana's Glacier Country serves up a generous helping of insights for meeting planners and tour operators (both domestic and international) seeking to unlock deeper engagement and growth in these markets in our region. We share industry wisdom and spotlight best practices, and we keep these markets in the loop with the freshest trends in Western Montana. With shoulder seasons just around the corner, we're looking for tourism partners eager to share their stories through a guest blog. Here is a shining example of a guest blog by Destination Missoula. Take advantage of this opportunity to shine the light on your group offerings, unveil hidden gems for the international visitor, and attract guests during the off-peak periods transforming shoulder seasons into a season of business growth.
Each year, our sales team develops new Western Montana itineraries for tour operators. For FY 2023, we introduced three itineraries focusing on off-peak season promotion and off-the-beaten-path destinations: "Early Fall Adventure Tour," "Winter Holiday Tour," and "Hidden Gems: Butte to Glacier National Park." Find them on our Tour Operator microsite: touroperators.glaciermt.com.
For more details on how to tell your business's story and become a guest blogger, or should your business wish to delve deeper into the group tour market, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support you. Contact Debbie Picard at debbie@glaciermt.com or Aerionna Skrutvold at aerionna@glaciermt.com.
In April, Northwest USA Spotlight was held in Missoula and attended by 14 domestic tour companies that either want to expand tours or learn more about the region for new tour itineraries. Western Montana's Glacier Country’s Group Sales Associate, Aerionna Skrutvold, hosted a pre-FAM and spotlighted the communities of Butte, Polson, Kalispell and Charlo, as well as Glacier National Park. One operator said it was the best FAM they’d been on in 37 years in the industry. The pre-FAM and trade show have already resulted in new tours being scheduled for Montana in 2024.
Western Montana's Glacier Country’s Director of Sales, Debbie Picard, attended International Roundup in Boise in April where she met with international and U.S. receptive tour operators interesting in learning more about the five-state region (MT, ID, WY, ND, SD) brand The Great American West. IPW, the largest international trade show for international buyers, was held in May in San Antonio, where the Montana booth saw a record number of appointments. The comments received included that the U.S., and particularly our region, is very appealing, however, it’s expensive compared to other countries, which makes travelers put travel to the U.S. on hold while they find better deals in other countries.
Debbie also attended Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Conference and continues to learn how to put Western Montana’s Glacier Country front of mind for meetings, retreats and conventions. Western Montana's Glacier Country partners who would like to promote your business specifically to the meetings, domestic group and international tour markets via our B2B Blog, b2b.glaciermt.com, let us know at debbie@glaciermt.com. For Glacier Country business partners interested in following up, leads can be found at partners.glaciermt.com/business-to-business-leads-group-tour-international-meetings-and-conventions.
Western Montana's Glacier Country’s Director of Communications, Lucy Guthrie Beighle, attended IPW in San Antonio in May where she met with 25 international journalists and bloggers. The appointments were assigned based on mutual interest, and the media came from various target market countries, including the UK, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, France and Italy.
In June, Western Montana's Glacier Country hosted blogger Valerie Stimac for an Astrotourism/Dark Skies in Western Montana trip. The four-day adventure took Valerie from Whitefish to East Glacier Park and included a cultural adventure hike with Iron Shield Creative on the Blackfeet Reservation.
Glacier Country has assisted with and been featured in a number of publications this past quarter, including two articles in AFAR Magazine, one on northern lights (featuring the Seeley Swan Valley) and one on the reservation system in Glacier National Park, an article in Northwest Travel and Life on Glacier Park International Airport and an article in Meetings Today featuring Glacier Country as a meetings destination.
For the upcoming six months, Lucy will be hosting at least one journalist, blogger or influencer per month, with diverse itineraries and areas of interest.
Partners interested in hosting media or showcasing their business can reach out to Lucy at lucy@glaciermt.com for potential inclusion in a FAM or media trip.
In February, our Marketing Project Manager, Aerionna Skrutvold, attended American Bus Association (ABA) Marketplace where she met with a variety of group tour operators looking for unique outdoor destinations, attractions and culinary experiences to provide their clients an unforgettable bucket-list experience. Western Montana's Glacier Country continues to recommend shoulder-season tours to help alleviate congestion in the busy summer months. In April, we partnered with Discover Kalispell and the Butte-Silver Bow CVB to host a pre-FAM for tour operator attendees of the Northwest USA Spotlight trade show, hosted in Missoula. Aerionna then attended Spotlight, where she continued to build relationships with the tour operators who had a significant interest in creating or expanding tours in Montana.
Western Montana's Glacier Country’s Director of Sales, Debbie Picard, attended IITA Summit in San Diego and Go West Summit in Anchorage in February where she met with international and U.S. receptive tour operators and saw a marked increase of interest in itineraries to Montana and the Great American West for international visitors. There is pent-up demand for travel, and rural, less populated areas are still seeing more interest. However, top-tier cities are making a comeback as top destinations for international travelers as well. With a strong dollar, the U.S. is also very expensive compared to other countries, which makes visitors put travel to the U.S. on the back burner and flock to other places, like South Africa, for a better deal.
Destination wedding inquiries for this summer were up, and the meetings and conventions market saw significant growth in RFP requests for Western Montana. Fortunately, we are seeing longer booking window trends as well. Western Montana's Glacier Country partners who would like to promote your business specifically to the meetings, group and international tour markets via our B2B Blog, b2b.glaciermt.com, let us know at debbie@glaciermt.com. For Western Montana's Glacier Country business partners interested in following up, leads can be found at partners.glaciermt.com/business-to-business-leads-group-tour-international-meetings-and-conventions.
This quarter, Western Montana's Glacier Country’s Director of Communications, Lucy Guthrie Beighle, attended two conferences: International Media Marketplace (IMM) in NYC where she met with 25 domestic and international journalists and bloggers, and Destination International’s Marketing and Communications Summit in Virginia.
Western Montana's Glacier Country hosted blogger Christopher Mitchell/Traveling Mitch for a Winter Activities in Western Montana trip. The five-day adventure took Chris on a loop through rural Western Montana with activities like dog sledding, snowshoeing, fat biking and snowmobiling, all while recreating responsibly.
Adventuring Eyes/Sarah and Miles Bielski, who Western Montana's Glacier Country hosted in the fall of 2022, recently posted on Instagram “How to Plan for a Glacier National Park Trip,” which received 19,800 responses, 168 comments and 376,000 views. The “know before you go” theme of the post was very timely as Glacier National Park has updated their reservation system for this coming season.
Partners interested in hosting media or showcasing their business can reach out to Lucy at lucy@glaciermt.com for potential inclusion in a FAM or media trip.
