MONTANA OFFICE OF TOURISM AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Resources for Tourism Partners

Tourism Regions & CVBs

Rules & Regulations

• Region/CVB Regulations & Procedures April 2019
• Region/CVB Regulations & Procedures April 2019 SUMMARY

Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 2017

• MCA 15-65-101 Definition of Region and Convention & Visitor's Bureau (CVB)
• MCA 15-65-121 Distribution of Tax Proceeds

Budgeting

• Region and CVB Budgeting Sources

Region/CVB Timelines

• FY21 Marketing Plan Timeline (Revised 4/1/20)
• 2020 Timeline Calendar

Audit

• Annual Audit Checklist

Travel Reimbursement Instructions

• Travel Reimbursement Instructions
• 2020 Per Diem Rates Summary
• 2019 Per Diem Rates Summary
• Meal & Lodging Per Diem Requirements (through June 30, 2019)
• Meal Reimbursement Rates and Requirements 
• Travel Reimbursement Form January 1, 2020 - present
• Travel Reimbursement Form January 1, 2020 - present, Meals Provided
• Travel Reimbursement Form July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
• Travel Reimbursement Form July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019, Meals Provided
• GSA Lodging Rate Per Diem - Oct 2019 - Sep 2020
• GSA Lodging Rate Per Deim - Oct 2018 - Sep 2019

Annual Marketing Plan Development

• Create FY21 Marketing Plan
• Complete FY21 Marketing Plan
• List of Marketing Segments with Methods
• FY21 Marketing Plan Presentation format  DOC  PDF

Marketing Method Evaluation

• Marketing Method Evaluation Steps
• How to Create Budget to Actual Report from QuickBooks
• MME Template - Consumer & Trade Shows

Annual Marketing Plan Review (TAC Members)

• Steps to review FY21 Marketing Plan 
• New user registration (WebGrants)
   

Tourism COVID-19 Resources

The State of Montana prioritizes the health and safety of our citizens and visitors. We are closely monitoring the impacts of coronavirus or COVID-19 and are updating this page as-needed with new information. 

Montana is now in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan. 

• COVID-19 FAQs
• Guidance for Reopening Tourism Offices, Chambers and Visitor Information Centers
• Montana Facility Cleaning Guidance
• CDC Guidelines for Disinfecting Your Facility

State, Local & Regional Resources

• Responding to Novel Coronavirus: Guidance for Montana Tourism Partners
• Visit MT Travel Guidance/Alerts
• Business & Community Recovery Assistance
• Great Falls Development Authority Business Resiliency Guide
• Montana Farmers Market COVID-19 Guidelines
• Rural and Tribal Community Funding
• Whitefish Social Media Brand Communication During COVID-19 Crisis 
• Yellowstone County Economic Recovery

Outdoor Recreation

• Parks-Recreation-Public Lands: Closures, Restrictions and Updates
• COVID-19 Reopening Plan for Glacier National Park 
• COVID-19 Reopening Plan for Yellowstone National Park
• U.S. Travel Association "Recreate Responsibility" Guidelines

Guidelines for Visiting these Montana Communities May Differ from the State's Phased Reopening Guidelines

• City of Whitefish

CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act

• COVID-19 CARES Act Relief Resources FAQ
• COVID-19 CARES Act Relief Resources
• U.S. Travel Association (USTA) Webinar on Understanding the CARES Act
• Slide Deck from USTA Webinar Outlining CARES Act Provisions and Eligibility

Tourism Region Resources

• Central Montana
• Glacier Country 
• Missouri River Country
• Visit Southeast Montana
• Southwest Montana
• Yellowstone Country

Tourism CVB Resources

• Visit Billings
• Kalispell
• West Yellowstone

Additional COVID-19 Resources & Information

Best Practices

• U.S. Chamber Coronavirus Small Business Guide
• ADARA COVID-19 Resource Center
• American Hotel and Lodging Association
• U.S. Travel Association Guidance for "Travel in the New Normal"

Research and Data

• Arrivalist Daily Travel Index (updated daily)
• Brand USA Updates
• Destination Analysts Importance of DMOs in a Crisis (Preliminary findings from surveying more than 12,000 users of over 60 official DMO websites over the last month demonstrate how valuable these official resources are to a wide variety of audiences during a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. The research also highlights the content most sought by travelers right now.)
• Destination Analysts Weekly Impact on American Travel Updates
• Destination Development Association COVID-19 Special Presentation: Due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19, the coronavirus is now sweeping countries around the world and the industry we all love - tourism and downtowns - is being severely impacted. In this special presentation by the Destination Development Association, they offer ideas for helping to mitigate the effects the pandemic is having on us: destination marketing organizations, downtown associations, downtown retail shops and eateries. 
• Economic Impact of Coronavirus Report by the US Travel Association 
• Economic Impacts of COVID-19 (Harvard and Brown Universities along with numerous data partners have developed a tool for tracking the economic impacts of COVID-19 on people, businesses, and communities across the United States in real time)
• Facebook Tourism Industry COVID-19 Resource Group 
• Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Report
• ITRR Traveler Panel Survey (updated bi-weekly)
• ITRR Tourism Business Survey (updated bi-weekly)
• Longwoods International COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Survey
• National Restaurant Association
• TTRA (Tourism and Travel Research Association): TTRA has has compiled a list of resources that cover research and analytics companies, academic research, social media groups and public organizations and associations.

Tourism Partners
 

Communications & Public Relations

• Communications - Working with the Media
• Tips for Communicating with Travelers About Wildfire (See also: "Fire Information for Travelers")
• Montana Community Film Ambassador Program
• Film Friendly Community Resources

Business Recovery Assistance

• Montana Business Disaster Recovery

Business Tools

• Guidelines for Tourism Business Listing on VisitMT.com
• Create a Business Listing on VisitMT.com
• Create an Event Listing on VisitMT.com
• Claim Your Listing
• Add or Update Images to Business Listing
• WebDAM End User Guide
• Forgot Password

Montana Department of Revenue

• Lodging Tax Revenue Collections Guidelines

Research

• Research Guidelines
• Research Project Evaluation Form
• Arrivalist Region and County Data
• Eastern Montana Initiative Map
• ITRR Brochure

Presentations from February 2020 Tourism Research Summit

• ITRR-2020 Research Summit
• ITRR-Data Platforms & Additional Resources