Follow along as we provide news and updates related to important issues facing Montana's travel economy.
Many of the following news stories and announcements are courtesy of Montana Department of Commerce BrandMT office. Sign up to receive their Friday Flash newsletter here.
Tourism spending is higher in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world, but the U.S. has long been an outlier among nations with strong tourism revenues: Although most countries have ministers or secretaries of tourism, the U.S. has never had a senior government official overseeing tourism strategy; that is about to change.
Read the full article from travelweekly.com here.
The Montana Department of Commerce announced recently that $320,000 in grant funding through the Montana Indian Equity Fund (IEF) Small Business Grant has been awarded to 24 new and expanding Native-owned small businesses.
Read the full news release from COMMERCE.MT.GOV here.
The Montana Department of Commerce announced on December 29 that more than $3.3 million in federal Housing Trust Fund (HTF) and Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding has been allocated by Commerce’s Montana Housing to build new or preserve 66 affordable homes in four Montana communities.
Read the full news release from COMMERCE.MT.GOV here.
Officials with the Great Falls International Airport announced Monday that Delta Airlines direct flights to Minneapolis are scheduled to return on February 17, 2023.
Read the full article from krtv.com here.
More public access along the lower Yellowstone River has the potential to generate an additional $5.3 million in local spending and could create more than 50 new jobs in the region.
“That is amazing,” said Beth Epely, executive director of Eastern Plains Economic Development Corp., during an online press conference highlighting the study. “If a new business moved into my town with 56 new jobs, that would be headline news.”
Read the full article from news-journal.com here.
Stacey Orsted, owner of Wonderland Café & Lodge in Gardiner, had been preparing for a busy 2022 season.
Visitors flocked to Yellowstone National Park after entrances gradually reopened during the pandemic, at the time setting visitation records. The elevated number of visitors not only continued but gained steam — 2021 was the park’s busiest in history with an estimated 4.86 million recreation visits.
Local business owners like Orsted eyed the numbers and banked on another busy year.
Read the full article from bozemandailychronicle.com here.
