MISSOULA — Destination Missoula and the Missoula Tourism Business Improvement District are hosting town halls — seeking community perspectives to create a sustainable and responsible 10-year tourism plan.
These meetings are the second round of town halls — the first happening in May of 2023. The plan will serve as a road-map to guide future tourism while also helping preserve the quality of life for locals.
"Also included in the process are industry experts from NextFactor, Better Destinations and SMARInsights, who have conducted national studies for similar destinations and assisted other communities with their own destination stewardship plans," Destination Missoula shared in a release.
Tourism has economically altered Montana.
"As a leading economic driver in Montana, the travel and tourism industry supported 1 in 13 Montana jobs through out-of-state travel — an estimated 43,900 jobs last year. In 2022, 12.5 million visitors spent $5.82 billion in state and contributed $315 million to state and local taxes, reducing the average tax burden on every Montana household by more than $721, according to the Institute of Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana."
In Missoula County in 2022, visitors brought in $390 million in total economic impact, which in turn helped bakeries, breweries, restaurants, and shops in town. Tourism supported 4,687 jobs and contributed $29.35 million to state and local taxes.
However, more visitors also means more use of Missoula's resources. Executive Director of Destination Missoula, Barbara Neilan said that tourism levels are returning to those from before the pandemic.
“I think there’s a misperception out there that we are being inundated by people. We truly are not. We are just now, in Missoula, coming back to the visitation numbers that we had prior to the pandemic," noted Neilan. "So, when people have this feeling that we’ve just been overrun by visitors, that’s a perception and that’s because it’s in a three to four month window of time.”
Destination Missoula wants to hear from residents about the future of their town.
“We are looking at tourism from a different lens. We are wanting to make sure that we are balancing our community’s needs and wants and the preservation of our resources with a really good visitor experience," Neilan told MTN News.
She wants visitors to act responsibly and take care of Missoula while in town.
The town hall meetings will be held at the Missoula Fairfield Inn & Suites, on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"We've had a resident sentiment survey out which we're asking everybody please to go in and take. Give us your opinions because Missoulian's opinions are important. This plan is only as good as what we hear from people and we have to hear the feedback," Neilan stated.
Register to attend a town hall meeting or take the survey at https://destinationmissoula.org/dsp
