H01. Res. 6145, 2024 TBID work plan and BudgetCITY OF City of Kalispell
ALISPELL post Office Box 1997 - Kalispell, Montana 59903-1997
Telephone (406) 758-7000 Fax - (406) 758-7758
REPORT TO: Doug Russell, City Manager
FROM: Aimee Cooke, Finance Director
SUBJECT: Resolution No. 6145 — A Resolution Approving the Work Plan and
Budget of the Tourism Business Improvement District
MEETING DATE: August 21, 2023 — Regular Council Meeting
BACKGROUND: On May 3, 2010, pursuant to Section 7-12-1101, et seq., MCA, the City of
Kalispell created a Tourism Business Improvement District [TBID], and then renewed the
District pursuant to Section 7-12-1141 MCA, beginning July 1, 2020. This entity falls under the
provisions of Business Improvement Districts that deal specifically with hotels and short-term
rentals. The board of directors for the TBID has recommended to the City Council a work plan
and budget for the Tourism Business Improvement District for the next fiscal year and seeks to
have it approved. That budget assesses a bed tax of $2.00 per night per room. Also on the
agenda for this Council Meeting is the standard budget resolution for the TBID that is not
designed to address the assessment but rather only the gross revenue anticipated.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Council consider and pass Resolution
6145, a resolution approving the work plan and budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 for the
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District as recommended by its Board of Directors.
ALTERNATIVES: Upon consideration of the proposal the Council may reject the resolution.
ATTACHMENTS: Resolution 6145
TBID Work Plan
Return to:
City Clerk
City of Kalispell
P.O. Box 1997
Kalispell MT 59903-1997
RESOLUTION NO. 6145
A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE WORK PLAN AND BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR 2023-2024 FOR THE KALISPELL TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICT AS RECOMMENDED BY ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
WHEREAS, on May 3, 2010, pursuant to Section 7-12-1101, et seq., MCA, the City of Kalispell,
passed Resolution 5425 creating a Tourism Business Improvement District and on
December 16, 2019, pursuant to 7-12-1141, et seq., MCA, the City of Kalispell
passed Resolution 5954 renewing the District; and
WHEREAS, the board of directors for the Tourism Business Improvement District appointed by
the City Council of the City of Kalispell has recommended to the City Council a
work plan and budget for the Tourism Business Improvement District for the next
fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, having given adequate consideration to the work plan and budget presented, as well
as the proposed method of assessment the City Council now finds that it is in the
best interests of the City as well as the District and the properties therein to accept
the work plan and budget, as well as the proposed assessment method.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
KALISPELL AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The proposed work plan and budget of the Tourism Business Improvement
District, attached hereto Exhibit "A" and fully incorporated herein by this
reference, is hereby approved and adopted for the fiscal year 2023-2024.
SECTION 2. The proposed assessment formula of the Tourism Business Improvement
District is hereby approved and adopted for the fiscal year 2023-2024. That
assessment formula to be applied against all properties within the Tourism
Business Improvement District shall be $2.00 per occupied room per night.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND SIGNED BY THE MAYOR OF
THE CITY OF KALISPELL, THIS 21 ST DAY OF AUGUST, 2023.
Mark Johnson
Mayor
ATTEST:
Aimee Brunckhorst, CMC
City Clerk
Discover Kalispell FY24 DMO Plan and Budget
Kalispell is an unfiltered mountain town that remains true to itself. Kalispell is a place that
believes in living with intention, supporting one another and making the most of every day.
It's a place that accepts you as you are and encourages intentional exploration, all while
soaking up fresh mountain air, playing on our glacial -fed waters, tasting Montana's culinary
offerings and rubbing elbows with the locals.
In Kalispell VentureBOLDLY is our mantra, it's a call that grounds us in and to this
beautiful corner of the world we call home. To truly understand what venture boldly means
in Kalispell, we invite you to learn more about its three -pronged definition:
Intention - Our roots and traditions run deep. We live with intention and make bold moves
with a firm understanding of who we are, where we come from and how we'll grow.
Stewardship - As residents of Montana, we serve as stewards of this special place. Whether
you're here for a minute or a month, we ask visitors to be mindful of the impact they have on
this place, from public lands to local businesses.
Stronger Together - As with anything in life, we know we're better together. Kalispell is a
place for dreamers, makers, doers, creators and intrepid spirits to live fully and boldly
embrace adventures. A community known for coming together to solve problems, putting
collective energy around getting things done.
Discover Kalispell is a Destination Marketing and Destination Stewardship organization. The
organization serves to develop a tourism economy using a community -first approach while
being an active participant in a multi -stakeholder approach to maintain the cultural,
environmental and economic integrity of Kalispell.
Kalispell's Strengths
• Downtown Kalispell: The new Parkline Trail, a two-mile linear trail running through
downtown completed spring 2022. This project has spurred redevelopment in the
area, adding to the goal of 18-hour vibrancy and walkability throughout the heart of
the city.
• Arts and Culture: Conrad Mansion Museum, Hockaday Museum of Art, Northwest
Montana History Museum, Wachholz College Center, Glacier Symphony and Chorale,
art galleries, street art and juried arts & crafts shows and events.
• Wachholz College Center: located at the Flathead Valley Community College, the
performing arts center includes a 1,000-seat auditorium and lecture hall and flexible
event space. Since opening in November 2022, the center has featured a star-studded
line up of national -caliber performances and events.
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 1
• Glacier Range Riders: Pioneer league baseball team playing at Glacier Bank Park at
Flathead Field in Kalispell.
• Iconic Natural Landmarks: 32 miles from the entrance to Glacier National Park, 10
miles to Flathead Lake, surrounded by 2 million acres of Flathead National Forest.
• State Parks: Kalispell is surrounded by eleven state parks providing trails, activities,
interpretative visitor services, and water -based activities.
• Air Service: Kalispell's Glacier Park International Airport ranked #3 in enplanements
for airports in Montana in 2022. Passenger traffic totaled 420,000, a 1 % increase over
2021 which was the previous record year. Residents and visitors have more options
for business or leisure travel through increased seat capacity year-round. GPIA is
undergoing a $150 million terminal expansion to handle increased traffic over the
next 20 years. Glacier AERO, a non-profit represented by Flathead Valley business and
tourism industry, works to increase winter and year-round flights through revenue
guarantees and other partnerships with the airlines.
• Healthcare: Logan Health is a 577-bed health system that services 13 Montana
counties. Includes the nation's first rural air ambulance service, more than 4,300
physicians, nurses, health care professionals and support staff. Logan Health also
includes Montana Children's Medical Center, the region's first pediatric hospital.
• Workforce: Workforce Flathead, led by the Discover Kalispell Chamber convenes
students, job seekers, educators and employers to support the jobs of today and
grow jobs for the future including for the travel and hospitality sector. Additionally,
the Chamber -led Childcare Action Steering Council launched four childcare action
teams resulting in identifying 500+ childcare slots over the next two years.
• Infrastructure: Community coalitions around infrastructure progress including the
continued completion of the Kalispell bypass and the widening of West Reserve to
improve freight and passenger vehicle mobility.
Challenges for Kalispell and the Travel Industry
Hospitality Industry:
• With slowing ADR and rising operating costs, profitability in the hospitality sector will
slow in 2023 before advancing stronger in 2024 (STR, 2023 Costar Group).
• As business and event/convention travel continues recovery the industry projects to
see occupancy growth. Strong leisure travel remains prevalent.
• During peak summer season 2022 570 short term rentals were active in 59901, a 3%
increase over 2021. Flathead County entire place short term rental inventory peaks at
2,667 rentals in 2022, a 17.9% increase. (Source: AirDNA)
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 2
Community:
• Glacier National Park has continued the vehicle reservation pilot system for summer
of 2023. Separate vehicle reservations are now required for the Going -to -the -Sun
Road, North Fork/Polebridge entrance, Many Glacier and Two Medicine areas of the
park, May 27 - September 11, 2023. In addition, the park is undergoing several
construction projects creating traffic delays and diversions through the 2023 season.
• Kalispell has been identified as the fastest growing micropolitan area in America by the
U.S. Census Bureau on March 24, 2022. This level of growth adds to already existing
issues of workforce housing, traffic, and real estate prices. Resident sentiment towards
tourism is negatively impacted by the increased number of new residents.
• Flathead County grew faster than any other of the larger Montana counties in 2022,
adding 3,089 new residents, a 2.84% growth rate. causing continued challenges for
workforce housing particularly during the peak visitor season.
• Weather conditions have deviated from historical patterns which poses a challenge
when promoting outdoor recreation and outdoor events. The impact of national
media headlines around wildfires in GNP, as well as the wildfire smoke from
surrounding states impacts visitations to Kalispell and northwest Montana.
• Aquatic Invasive Species post a threat to the Flathead Basin waterways. Introduction
of non-native species disrupts the balance of native ecosystems threatening the
recreation viability in our area. Discover Kalispell will continue to support FWP's
communications of Clean, Drain and Dry and watercraft inspection stations.
Opportunities for Discover Kalispell
• Partnership with Kalispell Chamber: Discover Kalispell and the Discover Kalispell
Chamber function as one organization, each working to support the local economy,
community vitality, business and industry. We serve to Venture Boldly while
remaining Future Ready, assuring Kalispell is well -positioned for long-term
sustainable economic strength.
• Community engagement study: Discover Kalispell and Chamber facilitated a
community engagement study in November 2022. The input received through a
survey, two community meetings and several one-on-one in-depth conversations
provided our organization with valuable resident input around smart growth, sense of
place, and how the tourism industry can contribute positively to the community.
Those key findings will begin to be addressed during FY24.
• Ground transportation: Community development priorities include improved ground
transportation to lessen traffic congestion particularly during the peak season.
Visitors need options to get from the airport to city centers, to lodging and to Glacier
National Park.
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 3
• Indoor sports facility: Discover Kalispell is providing the funding for a financial
feasibility study to explore options to develop a tournament -quality facility to serve as
a community recreation asset and generate economic impact year-round through
sports tourism.
A Strategy of Economic Vitality through Tourism Balanced with Community
Stewardship and Collaboration
While destination marketing is the traditional role of a convention and visitor bureau and
will continue to be important to support the economic vitality of tourism businesses,
Discover Kalispell recognizes the concerns around the growth our community is
experiencing. By integrating destination stewardship, management and development
initiatives Discover Kalispell will be part of the solution playing an important role in helping
our mountain community and tourism driven economy thrive.
Discover Kalispell commissioned a community engagement study to get input on the
steady growth our area is experiencing. The community conversations provided resident
insights on what would make Kalispell a better community and how tourism benefits the
community. A few of the key recommendations included:
• Creating a more vibrant downtown while preserving a sense of place.
• Be a community partner to focus on a win - creating a shared focus around solving
an immediate challenge.
• Support the outdoor recreation and restaurant industries - industry sectors
identified by residents as highly important to Kalispell's economy.
Many believe the community is now at a crossroads. Waves of new residents bringing
different mindsets, practices, and often more buying power have come to the Flathead to
take advantage of its natural beauty and way of life. They have enriched the economy and
brought new energy but are seen as the major reason housing prices have been driven
beyond the means of many locals. This imbalance, in particular, has fueled resentment,
and a longing for the town that Kalispell used to be.
The community conversations provided input as to what is viewed as the appropriate
visitor to resident ratio. The survey results indicated that summer is perceived as having
too many visitors, but the other seasons have room to expand visitations, especially fall
and winter.
Percent of respondents that feel there are too many visitors during that season:
• Winter: 29.9% • Summer:58.9%
• Spring:31.3% • Fall: 28.6%
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 4
This data reinforces Discover Kalispell's strategy to promote winter travel and direct
funding to destination events and other initiatives that generate visitations during fall and
spring seasons. Discover Kalispell does not market for summer travel, instead focuses on
visitor management and Recreate Responsibly communication strategies.
Destination Marketing - 60% of organization's operations
Destination marketing is defined as promoting a town or city to increase the number of
visitors to support the local lodging and visitor economy. It is not a one -size -fits -all
approach. Promotions must be highly strategic and targeted to attract high value travelers
that can play a role in supporting our community. Marketing includes designing campaigns
that focus on visitor distribution - distributing demand not only by season but also by
traveler types and weekend/mid-week demand. To uncover visitor demand not solely
based on geographical markets but by passions, niche activities and interests.
An effective and cohesive paid, earned and owned media strategy relies on research to
direct the media spend to create a strong ROI. The campaigns are implemented through
Discover Kalispell's agencies of record and paid marketing platforms.
Tactics:
• Destination promotion - paid media, website marketing, owned media (social media,
newsletters, brand content) and digital asset acquisition.
• Earned media - hosted influencer and press trips, media outreach, destination
reputation monitoring, FAM trips.
• Tourism sales - meetings, conventions, domestic tour groups, international FIT, group
incentives and sales calls.
• Travel & trade shows that reinforce target markets for leisure and group travel
segments.
• Equity, Inclusion and Diversity: create a welcoming environment for all, both to the
community and the outdoor recreation landscape.
Destination Stewardship/Management - 20% of organization's operations
A destination stewardship and management approach balances the needs of the
community while supporting tourism jobs and businesses. It's a coalition of many
organizations and interests working together to preserve community culture while
stimulating economic viability outside of the peak season. And serves to find solutions for
peak -period tourism impacts including educating visitors, and directing them to guided
adventures, local businesses, unique experiences and most importantly how to travel and
recreate responsibly.
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 5
Tactics:
• VIC funding, visitor services and education.
• Fund and execute tourism and hospitality training.
• Be involved in efforts to improve ground and air transportation in the Flathead Valley.
• Support arts and culture assets - public art, arts and performance arts events and
Kalispell's museums.
• Support the local outdoor recreation industry:
o Encourage visitors to Go With A Guide to assure safe and responsible
recreation and to support local guides and outfitters.
o Trail and water cleanup and other voluntourism opportunities.
o Help to facilitate improved infrastructure on trails and at trail heads.
• Support agri-tourism - agriculture businesses that offer experiences or products.
• Support the Living In The Flathead Guide developed by the Flathead Lakers which
provides resources to educate new residents and visitors.
Destination Development - 20% of organization's operations
Destination development strategies serve to enhance the visitor experience by enriching
recreation amenities, visitor assets, and supporting non-profit tourism attractions.
Development projects are also enjoyed by residents and support the reasons why they
choose to live in a destination.
Tactics:
• Grants - new and expanding events outside of peak season and community tourism
product development projects.
• Wayfinding, other signage and digital and printed maps to direct visitors to less
crowded experiences.
• Destination events hosted by Discover Kalispell.
• Fund study on market and needs and financial feasibility analysis for a tournament
and event destination indoor sports facility that also serves the community sports
programming needs.
• Advocate for downtown 18-hour vibrancy and the Parkline Trail.
• Be a community stakeholder to develop solutions for improved ground transportation.
Define Our Audience
2022 non-resident visitors that stayed at least one night in Kalispell:
• Average group size - 2.38; average age 58
• Average length of stay - 5.9 nights (in Montana)
• Top U.S. geographic markets of origin: WA, MN, IL, UT, TX, OH, WY, CA, WI, SD
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 6
• 77% here for vacation, recreation, pleasure
• Top attractions/activities (near Kalispell): Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake State
Parks; special events, hiking, mountains/forests, rivers, lakes, camping.
(ITRR)
To attract travelers that will be of value to our destination, Discover Kalispell invests in
geolocation and spending data to determine who is here, when they visit, if they disperse
to lesser -known activities and amenities, how much do they spend and where. That type of
data enables us to target a high value visitor with specific messaging and to retarget for
return visits. We know that 70% of visitors to Kalispell plan to return within 2 years (ITRR). But
where will they go and what will they do? We have the ability to influence those decisions
based on what would deliver the greatest positive impact to our destination.
Who we wish to attract - definition of a high -value visitor:
• Visitors that will stay more than one night in Kalispell.
• Visitors who are interested in fall, winter and spring travel.
• Visitors who are respectful of natural resources and strive to recreate responsibly.
• Visitors who are interested in local restaurants, craft beverages and shopping.
• Visitors who seek adventures outside of the heavily traffic activities and recreation areas.
• Visitors who are seeking:
o Sporting events
o Destination events
o Accessible travel resources
• Business travelers
• Group travelers - meeting planners, domestic and international tour trade, other
group travel such as reunions, incentive travel, niche interest groups.
What Research Supports The DMO Strategy
Prioritize tourism marketing initiatives to increase visitations in the fall, winter and spring_
Occupancy data, as well visitor to resident ratio sentiment by residents, demonstrates there
is capacity to increase visitations outside of the peak season.
• Average annual occupancy in Kalispell (2022): 57.3%
• Average occupancy October - May in Kalispell (2022): 47.6%
Occupancy and overall revenue declined for Kalispell's lodging industry during the summer
of 2022. This is attributed to the American traveler's concern with cost of travel and
economic uncertainty, and the complexity of Glacier National Park's vehicle reservation
system. It further clarifies the importance of destination marketing to increase visitations
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 7
in the shoulder and winter seasons, and that Discover Kalispell should continue to promote
product development and activities outside of GNP during the warm season.
100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
�-
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
Jan Feb Mar
(Smith Travel Research)
Kalispell Hotel Occupancy
Apr May Jun Jul
2019 2020 2021
Aug Sep
Pi0%
Oct Nov Dec
Who is the Kalispell visitor based on geographic markets and spending:
DMA (non-res) avg spend
Seattle -Tacoma
$304
Spokane
$324
Phoenix
$353
Los Angeles
$352
Salt Lake City
$103
Spending by category (% of total spend):
1. Food - 32.3%
2. Retail - 19.7%
3. Accommodations - 13.8%
(Zartico)
% of total visitors
7.8%
9.6%
4.4%
3.8%
6.4%
4. Gas & service stations - 13.3%
5. Transportation - 10.5%
6. Outdoor Recreation - 1.5%
Credit card spending by non-resident visitors: $228.2 Million in 2022, a 7.5% increase YOY
Top CMAs per quarter (calendar) - Data support retargeting campaigns:
Q1: New York, Missoula, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland
Q2: Missoula, New York, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Phoenix
Q4: Missoula, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Bozeman, Los Angeles
(Visa Destination Insights)
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 8
ITRR - Montana Resident Attitudes Towards Tourism 2022
The ITRR resident attitude study demonstrated that residents want a balanced approach
towards tourism in the state. Residents recognize that while overall benefits outweigh the
negative, they feel the state is becoming overcrowded (57%) and don't agree that if tourism
were to increase that the overall quality of life for Montana residents would improve.
Residents were asked if tourism increases in the Glacier Country region will the overall
quality of life for residents improve? 35% agreed - 37% disagreed.
Data from the ITRR study, Glacier Country's Destination Stewardship Plan, and Discover
Kalispell's Community Engagement Study, reinforces the importance of the destination
stewardship and development initiatives by Discover Kalispell, to create a balanced,
community -first tourism economy.
BBER The Future of Montana - What the New Wave of In -Migration Means For the State
"While Flathead County generally follows statewide trends of stagnant growth, industries like
healthcare, construction, accommodations and food service are driving economic growth
and remain strong locally compared to other counties in the state." Patrick Barkey, BBER,
(Flathead Beacon)
Key points from report:
• As interest rates continue to rise and inflation remains high, BBER predicts no
statewide growth in 2023 followed by weak growth in 2024.
• The accommodation & food sector remains the most prominent industry for Flathead
County.
• Nonresident travel is 21 % of share income in basic industries, a leading driver of
economic activity in Flathead County.
• Flathead County saw a sharp increase in net population migration from other states
in 2022.
Montana's Outdoor Economy by Logan Hendrix - MT Department of Labor & Industry
In Discover Kalispell's 2022 Community Engagement Study, outdoor recreation was identified
by residents as the second leading industry, after healthcare, based on importance to
Kalispell's economy. As such Discover Kalispell will identify ways to expand our organization's
support to this high valued economic sector that is so closely aligned with tourism.
The Montana Department of Labor & Industry report on Montana's Outdoor Economy states
that outdoor recreation generates $2.5 billion of annual domestic product and accounts for
4.4% of Montana's total GDP in 2021. Only Hawaii has a greater concentration of outdoor
recreation. About half of the state's $2.5 billion in GDP comes from recreation activities, while
the other half is generated through services that support outdoor recreation (food, lodging,
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 9
transportation, construction). Outdoor recreation employs over 27,000 people in Montana,
5.4% of the workforce.
Top outdoor activities in Montana as percent of total GDP:
1. Boating/fishing 4. Equestrian
2. RVing 5. Snow Activities
3. Hunting
Other outdoor recreation activities that increased in GDP from 2019 to 2021 include:
1. Canoeing/kayaking 4. Guided tours/outfitted travel
2. Rafting/SUP 5. Motorcycling
3. Bicycling
GOALS, TACTICS and OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. Increase visitation to meet the needs of the Kalispell's visitor distribution goals -
seasonality, niche markets, diverse audiences.
2. Tourism sales initiatives to attract sports, events, group travel, tour trade, and
meetings and convention segment bookings.
3. Public relations earned media strategy focused on media that match Kalispell's
marketing goals, aligns with the Discover Kalispell brand and the high -value target
audience.
4. Encourage residents and visitors to travel and recreate responsibly and respectfully.
Align visitor education programs with community values.
5. Support guides and outfitters and land manager partners who provide services and
education to visitors fostering safe and responsible recreation.
6. Work with local stakeholders to develop and enhance community projects that
serve to enhance the visitor and resident experience in Kalispell.
7. Develop programs for community outreach and tourism and hospitality training.
8. Be an active partner on initiatives for natural resource sustainability.
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 10
Goal
Tactic
Primary Objective
Targeted advertising campaigns
Develop 1 targeted advertising
promoting fall, winter and spring travel,
campaign that delivers a CTR of
Increase visitation to meet the needs of
niche activity travel and inclusivity
0.75% or greater for each
the Kalispell's visitor distribution goals -
through paid media, website marketing,
category: hotel booking
seasonality, niche markets, diverse
owned media (social, newsletters) and
incentive, niche travel and
audiences.
digital asset acquisition.
responsible travel.
Group sales manager for meetings,
Execute 20 in -market and out -
Develop sales plan to attract sports,
conventions and domestic and
of -market sales calls or client
events, group travel, tour trade, and
international tour groups. Sports tourism
events. Produce 3 videos to
meetings & convention segment
and destination event development and
use in group travel and tourism
bookings.
marketing.
sales promotions.
Host travel media to achieve earned
Public relations earned media strategy
media in targeted publications and
Host 2 travel media whose
focused on media that match Kalispell's
channels on topics such as winter travel,
audience aligns with DK's goals
marketing goals, aligns with the DK
fall travel, accessible travel, and educating
and definition of a high -value
brand and high -value target audience.
on responsible recreation.
target audience.
Develop opportunities for
Encourage residents and visitors to
Visitor education distributed through
newsletter signups and access
travel and recreate responsibly and
owned and paid media and collaboration
to visitor information at
respectfully. Align visitor education
with community stakeholders and land
community events and high
programs with community values.
managers.
traffic visitor areas.
Promote through paid and owned media
Support guides and outfitters and non-
campaigns highlighting guided and
Implement paid and earned
profits who provide services and
educational activities. Support programs
media campaigns to promote
education to visitors fostering safe and
led by local recreation/land manager
guided adventures (local
responsible recreation.
groups.
guides and outfitters).
Cooperate with local stakeholders to
develop and enhance community
Event and tourism product development
Promote Discover Kalispell
projects that serve to enhance the
grant program which provides funding to
grant program through
visitor and resident experience in
new or expanding events and community
community outreach initiatives
Kalispell.
projects.
and newsletters.
Sponsor two guest services
training workshops. Be an
Guest services training for today's
active participant in
workforce addressing today's traveler.
community initiatives for 2
Develop programs for community
Dedicate staffing to community outreach
product development projects
outreach and tourism and hospitality
to identify solutions for peak season
that will benefit residents and
training.
tourism impacts.
off -set impact of tourism.
Partner with local organizations such as
Flathead Lakers, Flathead River Alliance,
Champion 2 projects led by
Flathead Trails Association and FWP to
local natural resource groups
Be an active partner on initiatives for
support conservation projects related to
through sponsorships,
natural resource sustainability.
visitor amenities and visitor impacts.
messaging, and volunteering.
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 11
BUDGET
Amount % of
Segments Budgeted budget
Administration/Operations 48,500 7%
Personnel (wages) 260,000 38%
Education/Outreach
Agency Services
Research
Website
Destination Marketing
Marketing Resources
Online platforms,
Printed collateral
Multimedia
Earned Media/Tourism Sales
Media and influencer hosted trips
Meeting and group incentives
Travel/Trade Shows
Marketing based memberships
Trade/travel show displays
Digital asset acquisition
FAM trips/sales calls
Destination Stewardship/Management
Tourism and hospitality training Community outreach
VIC funding Crisis communications
Strategic planning
Destination Development
Grant program -events & product dvlmt
Discover Kalispell signature events
TOTAL
13,000
2%
75,000
11 %
20,000
3%
17,000
2%
175,000
26%
11,500 2%
65,000 9%
685,000
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 12
DISCOVER KALISPELL STRUCTURE AND TEAM
Discover Kalispell, the Kalispell Convention & Visitor Bureau, is a division of the Discover
Kalispell Chamber. The Discover Kalispell Chamber has served as the official tourism agency
for the City of Kalispell since 1987. Discover Kalispell is funded through two contracts with
public agencies and generates private funds through registration fees and sponsorships. The
Chamber has contracted with the State of Montana for Kalispell's share of the lodging facility
use tax since 1987. In 2010, the Kalispell Chamber/CVB assumed administration of the
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) under an agreement with the City of
Kalispell and Kalispell hoteliers. The Kalispell TBID district is currently authorized to 2030.
The Discover Kalispell Team
President/CEO Discover Kalispell Chamber: Lorraine Clarno, lorraine@kalispellchamber.com
Executive Director, Discover Kalispell: Diane Medler, diane@discoverkalispell.com
Group Sales Manager: Dawn Jackson, dawn@discoverkalispell.com
Marketing & Communications Coordinator: Marisa Mikonis, marisa@discoverkalispell.com
Visitor Services Coordinator: Meche Ek, info@discoverkalispell.com
15 Depot Park, Kalispell, MT 59901 1 406-758-2811 1 http://discoverkalispell.com
The FY24 Discover Kalispell DMO plan serves to direct the initiatives and spending for
Discover Kalispell and inform and educate the Kalispell Chamber and TBID board of
directors, community stakeholders, Tourism Advisory Council, City of Kalispell and the state
legislature. Kalispell's two funding sources, Bed Tax and TBID, work collaboratively to support
this DMO plan.
Discover Kalispell - FY24 DMO Plan Page 13