Department Of Commerce

The international program markets Montana in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Focusing on working with key tour operators, tour wholesalers and travel agencies, the international program aims to educate about the state, create authentic itineraries showcasing Montana’s beauty and ample amenities for groups and Foreign Independent Travelers (FITs). This program also assists Montana’s businesses in their marketing efforts overseas. The program works with travel media to provide inspiration and awareness of Montana to international travelers while presenting it as an attractive vacation destination. The goal of this program is to enhance Montana’s economy by increasing the number of overseas visitors and overnight stays, as well as increasing the inclusion of Montana tourism product in tour operator’s brochures and offerings, in order to drive bookings.

The program also works with the Commerce Department’s Trade Office representative in Kumamoto, Japan, to promote Montana as a vacation destination to Japanese tour operators and travel media

The Travel Trade Marketing program promotes Montana as a tourism destination to the international travel trade market, the domestic and Canadian groups market, packaged travel industry, as well as meetings and conventions.

The Group Travel program promotes Montana’s group tour and packaged travel opportunities, as well as Montana’s meetings and conventions opportunities by marketing directly to group and packaged travel tour operators and convention and meeting planners throughout the United States and Canada. Montana is promoted as a group tour and meeting/convention destination, as well as a viable stopover on tour itineraries. The major goals of this program are to provide tour operators with the tools to build a successful Montana tour itinerary, generate more awareness of statewide group tour and meeting/convention products, and create top of mind awareness of Montana as a group tour and convention/meeting destination.