Tribal Tourism Montana

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Tribal Tourism Goals 2024-2026

Expand Montana’s tribal tourism industry into measurable economic benefits for tribal nations through:

  • Identifying assets and resources
  • Investment and partnership opportunities
  • Targeted sponsorships and grants
  • Promotion of experiences, events, locations and businesses

Elevate brand recognition through:

  • Publications
  • Marketing
  • Content creation and advertising

Production Assistant (PA) Training Scholarship Program

Leslie-Belcourt-2.jpg“Attending the PA program was a hands-on and eye-opening experience for me. I felt like I was in the movie business. A dream come true having grown up in Rocky Boy on a small cattle ranch, where opportunity was not always there if you had big dreams. This is a great opportunity to get started in the television or movie industry.” -Leslie Belcourt, enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree tribe and recent PA scholarship recipient

Round 3 is now open for the Production Assistant (PA) Training Scholarship Program, exclusively for enrolled tribal citizens of a Montana tribe, aged 16 years old and older. In partnership with AccelerateMT, OICED Tribal Tourism Program is awarding a total of 80 scholarships. The PA Training course is offered on-line or in-person, with in-person curriculum taught over two days. There is no cost to awardees; the $500 tuition is prepaid by the Office of Indian Country Economic Development (OICED) Tribal Tourism Program.

Awardees can select an in-person two-day training or an on-line course. Becoming a certified PA is a first step into the TV, film, commercial, media, concert, live theater, fashion and event industries.

The next in-person trainings are tentatively planned for Spring 2024 (March/April) at the Blackfeet Community College in Browning, as well as at Helena Community College.

Apply for Production Assistant (PA) Training Scholarship

  • This round will be open until February 15, 2024. 

 

This website is a resource for the development and promotion of the Indian Tourism Region in Montana, established by Senate Bill 309 of the 65th Montana Legislature in 2017.

The Indian Tourism Region includes all reservations in Montana as well as other locations significant to tribes with a modern or historical connection to Montana.

tribal-nations-map.jpg

Tribal Tourism Funding

Senate Bill 309 allocates 0.5 percent of Montana’s Lodging Facility Use Tax collections to develop and promote the Indian Tourism Region. Promotions include paid media (advertising), earned media (hosting journalists and photographers to visit Indian Country and produce editorial content), and owned media (VISITMT.COM).

Additionally, the Montana Department of Commerce funds a full-time Tribal Tourism Officer and various programs for which tribal governments and tribal tourism may be eligible to apply (see TRIBAL TOURISM RESOURCES tab).

The Economic Impact of Tourism

Tourism is one of Montana’s leading industries. According to estimates by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, 12.5 million visitors added over $5 billion to the state’s economy in 2021. And the impact isn’t only limited to hotels and car rentals — it includes businesses of all kinds, such as artisan entrepreneurs featured at Made in Montana, Grown in Montana and Native American Made in Montana (to learn more please visit MADEINMONTANAUSA.COM).

According to research commissioned by Commerce in 2019, 82 percent of leisure travelers expressed an interest in exploring sites and experiences related to Indigenous culture and history.

Tribal Tourism Grant (TTG)

Thank you for your interest in the Tribal Tourism Grant. The FY 2024 application cycle will open October 1, 2023 and close November 30, 2023. Links to the grant application and guidelines will be made available by September 30, 2023. Please check the Office of Indian Country Economic Development website for other funding opportunities. This year’s grant cycle budget is around $120,000 (to be determined), with a maximum award amount of $50,000 to tribal governments of Montana for eligible tourism projects, and a 50% matching requirement.

Financial & Technical Assistance

  • The Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation (GovCon) is the premier annual event for Montana’s tourism and recreation industry. Please note there is a fee to attend.
  • Native American Made in Montana is for producers of products for sale. Native American Made in Montana is a free program in which members receive the ability to use a branded label and a website listing. Members may be eligible to apply for a sponsorship to exhibit at the annual Made in Montana Tradeshow for Food and Gifts.
  • Tribal Tourism Grant Programs (TTG/TTEG) - Available to tribal governments, this reimbursement grant program helps tourism-related projects such as arts, culture and heritage preservation, visitor facility upgrades and construction, and niche product development.

    Fiscal Year 2024 TTG Guidelines

    Apply for Tribal Tourism Grant
    OKTA instructions here

Consumer Marketing

  • Indian Country Guidebook - Developed by the Office of Indian Country Economic Development BUSINESS MT at the Montana Department of Commerce in partnership with BRAND MT, and in association with the tribes in Montana. Limited quantities of hard copies have been distributed across the state, while a digital download is available at VISITMT.COM.
  • Indian Country at VISITMT.COM – The state’s official travel website receives nearly four million visits per year.
    • Click here for instructions to claim your VISITMT.COM business listing.

Research

Additional Resources

In addition to the Indian Tourism Region, Montana is organized into six geographic tourism regions, each of which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting its area — including Indian Country. By working together, tribal communities and tourism regions may maximize their impact.

The following tourism regions include reservations:

The OICED Tribal Tourism Grant Programs are exclusively for the Tribal Governments in Montana. For those Tribal Council staff authorized to submit requests for reimbursement of eligible grant project expenses, please complete all three (3) forms below, including all receipts and invoice, and email them to DocTribal@mt.gov or Rachelle.Brown@mt.gov. Please call 406.841.2734 if you have any questions.

Note: Incomplete forms, missing receipts, or expenses incurred outside the scope of the contractual terms of the grant award will either be denied, not processed, or will delay the reimbursement of funds.