Glacier Country Tourism - FY 2024 DMO Plan and Budget

Sep 13, 2026

Glacier Country Tourism presents the FY 2024 destination marketing and management plan and budget for a 10-year stewardship approach. It outlines who the organization is, the destination’s distinctive strengths, and the visitor segments it aims to attract, while addressing opportunities and key challenges such as infrastructure, affordable housing, and workforce pressures. The strategy is grounded in a community-driven process across 75+ partner communities and supports responsible stewardship that protects quality of life and long-term regional economic prosperity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

Who We Are

Our Organization

Our Destination

Strengths, Opportunities, and Challenges

Identified Challenges

Strengths and Opportunities

Audiences and Market Focus

Who We Wish to Attract

Why They Come

Our Audiences

Our Emerging Markets

Strategic Direction and Execution

Our Strategic Role

Our Destination Goals

Our Tactics and Projects

Measurable Objectives

FY 2024 Budget

About Us

1 GLACIER COUNTRY TO U R ISM P LA N AND BUDGET FY 2024 DMO PLAN AND BUDGET East Glacier. © ANDY AUSTIN FY 2 0 2 4 DMO P LA N AND BUDGET 2 GLACIER C O U NT RY TOURISM CONTENTS Who We Are ............................ 4 Our Organization ....................... 4 Our Destination ........................ 6 Strengths and Opportunities ............... 7 Challenges ............................. 8 Identified Challenges .................... 9 Who We Wish to Attract .................. 13 Why They Come ........................ 14 Destination Strengths .................. 15 Montana’s Brand Alignment ............... 17 Our Strategic Role ...................... 18 Our Audiences ....................... 20 Research ............................ 22 Our Emerging Markets ................. 29 Our Destination Goals ................... 30 Our Tactics and Projects ................ 31 Measurable Objectives ................. 36 FY 2024 Budget ........................ 38 About Us ............................. 39 Blackfoot River. ©ANDY AUSITIN 3 GLACIER COUNTRY TOURISM | FY 2 0 2 4 D MO P LA N AND BUDGET FY 2 0 2 4 DMO P LA N AND BUDGET 4 GLACIER C O U NT RY TOURISM |

Clinton. © CHRISTIAN SAWICKI | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
1 | DESCRIBE YOUR DESTINATION (WHO YOU ARE, WHO YOU WISH TO ATTRACT AND WHY WOULD THEY COME) ADDRESSING YOUR STRENGTHS, OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL CHALLENGES . | | Our organization serves a greater purpose than we once did, and in 2022 we expanded the description of who we are . We completed a community-driven process to assess the current state of our regional tourism industry . We developed a strategic plan by working in partnership with the 75+ communities in the Glacier Country region to proactively map the evolution, development, marketing and management of the destination 10 years into the future . Glacier Country Tourism is leading this effort to identify ways to protect, improve and enhance the region’s long-term quality of life and economic prosperity .
As tourism has grown worldwide, many destinations have failed to plan for sustainable growth and encountered adverse effects on their communities and natural resources . Western Montana continues to see robust visitation . Glacier Country Tourism acknowledges the positive impacts tourism has, increasing the overall quality of life for residents . But GCT also acknowledges that tourism adds pressure to the economic challenges Western Montana already faces, including infrastructure, affordable housing and workforce . With tourism serving as the state’s largest economic driver outside of agriculture, there is significant interest in how a stronger and smarter tourism industry might help mitigate these impacts . Glacier Country Tourism’s Destination Stewardship Strategy provides the community and tourism industry with a 10-year action plan for responsibly stewarding our destination and promoting the economic health of our region .
During this process, we identified our communities’ shared values, which are appreciated at an individual level and shared by the communities . Community values are the non-negotiable core principles or standards a community’s residents wish to maintain . Community values guide the community’s vision, mission and strategic plan as well as its goals, objectives, activities, capital projects, budgets and services . Our strategic plan aligns with and supports our shared values with each community .
Destination stewardship is critically important to ensure Glacier Country’s tourism economy remains an economic engine for all Montanans . As tourism continues to recover globally from the pandemic slowdown and people travel in greater numbers domestically and internationally, the tourism industry’s long-term viability depends on its ability to protect, preserve and promote the traveler experience in tandem with quality of life for

FAQs

What is Glacier Country Tourism’s role in the region?

Glacier Country Tourism is the officially recognized destination organization (DMO) for the Glacier Country region, working with in-region CVBs to drive economic and social wellbeing.

What challenges does the plan highlight for Western Montana tourism growth?

The plan addresses pressures tied to infrastructure, affordable housing, and workforce, alongside the need for sustainable long-term destination viability.

How does the FY 2024 strategy guide destination stewardship?

It uses a community-driven process and a destination stewardship strategy to protect, preserve, and promote the traveler experience while supporting residents’ quality of life.

Sep 13, 2026

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