The Montana Commerce Department's Tourism Development and Education efforts are focused on helping the state's communities and businesses utilize tourism as a tool to improve the local, regional and state economy while protecting or improving the quality of life for Montana's residents. The guidelines for these efforts are provided by the Montana Strategic Plan for Tourism and Recreation.
The components of the Tourism Development and Education program include:

• Technical assistance for tourism product development;
• Technical and financial assistance for non-profit sponsors involved in developing or enhancing tourism-related facilities, annual, ongoing events and Montana’s cultural, heritage and nature tourism products;  
• Assisting Montana's Indian people in their tourism efforts;
• Helping create cultural tourism partnerships and products statewide;
• Partnering and communication with federal and state agencies involved with  tourism and recreation policies, programs and initiatives;
• Providing Montana Superhost customer service seminars and tourism education training programs.
• Operating Montana Visitor Information Centers at 9 gateway communities through financial partnerships with community organizations.

Applications for the Tourism Development Program’s Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program (TIIP) Grants and Special Event Grants Program (SEGP) can be found on our Applications, Regulations and Forms page. Below are resources for marketing and tourism-related technical and financial assistance.

• No & Low Cost Marketing
• Technical and Financial Assistance

TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROGRAM
The Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program (TIIP) invests a portion of the Montana Commerce Department 's "bed tax" funding into new tourism-related infrastructure products, the enhancement of existing tourism facilities, and the preservation of Montana's heritage and cultural treasures. Since its creation in 1995, TIIP has invested more than $2.4 million in "bed tax" funds into 56 projects in 37 communities across Montana. This investment has helped create over $31 million in new or improved tourism facilities in Montana. The primary goal of this program is to create or improve attractions and services that will entice visitors to spend more time and money in Montana's communities. The program also aims at helping communities and organizations improve the quality of life for Montanans.
Non-profit sponsors or communities are eligible to apply for TIIP funds. The funds are awarded on an annual basis through a competitive application process. Sponsors are required to invest $1 for every $2 in TIIP Grant funds received for their project. The minimum TIIP grant is $20,000. In Fiscal Year 2008 (July 2007-June 2008), Travel Montana will provide $250,000 in TIIP grant funds.

SPECIAL EVENTS GRANT PROGRAM (SEGP)
The purpose of the Special Events Grant Program (SEGP) is to create and sustain economic development through the creation and/or substantial enhancement of an annual, on-going event. Applicants must be a Montana non-profit entity, city, county, or tribal government. Applicant organizations must be officially recognized by the IRS as having a non-profit status. No state or federal agencies may apply.
The minimum grant funding that can be allocated to any one proposed project in any fiscal year will be $2,500. The maximum grant funding that can be allocated to any one proposed project will be the maximum of the SEGP funding set for that given fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2008 (July 2007-June 2008), Travel Montana will provide $80,000 in SEGP funds.
Since it's creation in 2002, SEGP Grants have provided $351,000 to 54 new events in 37 Montana communities.

CULTURAL TOURISM PROGRAM
The Cultural Tourism Program is focused on assisting with the development of a statewide cultural tourism network that enhances opportunities for visitors and residents alike to experience Montana's unique cultural and historic offerings. The network building efforts are striving to include people involved in the arts, humanities, historic preservation, tourism organizations, and the Montana Indian and business communities. The network's goal is to provide a structure through which both the quantity and quality of Montana's cultural tourism product offerings can be enhanced. The mechanisms for creating and utilizing this network include educational workshops and conferences; pilot projects involving communities, regions or travel corridors; the development of "mentor" communities; and individual consultation and planning assistance. The Cultural Tourism Program efforts involve:

• funding support for the production and distribution of the Montana's Cultural Treasures handbook, a cooperative project of Lee Enterprises, Montana Historical Society, Montana Arts Council and the Montana Commerce Department's Promotion Division;
• technical and financial support for the projects and activities of the Montana Tribal Tourism Alliance, an organization of tribal tourism officials and businesses on Montana's Indian reservations;
• technical and financial assistance for Montana communities, organizations and agencies developing and promoting the state’s cultural tourism products such as the Crown of the Continent Geotourism MapGuide project; the Montana Dinosaur Trail network; Hands of Harvest: The Craft-Heritage Trails of North Central Montana; the Copperway and Southwest Montana Heritage Trail.;
• continued assistance with Montana's Friends of the Beartooth All American Road Corridor Management Group responsible for Montana’s only officially designated scenic highway.  

MONTANA STATE & FEDERAL AGENCY LIAISON
The Tourism Development & Education Program serves as the Division’s liaison with state and federal agencies involved in tourism & recreation. The liaison is also the Division’s official representative involved with the multi-agency partnership called the Montana Tourism and Recreation Initiative (MTRI). MTRI is a coalition of 18 state and federal agencies, commissions and councils formed to facilitate communication among the partners and to pursue cooperative projects aimed at improving or protecting Montana's tourism and recreation resources. The MTRI partners include: Montana Governor's Office; Montana Departments of Commerce, Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Natural Resources & Conservation, and Transportation; Montana Historical Society; Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission; Montana Heritage Commission; Tourism Advisory Council; Montana Arts Council; and the Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research. Federal participants include: National Park Service; Bureau of Land Management; Army Corps of Engineers; Fish & Wildlife Service; Bureau of Reclamation; Forest Service; and Extension.
For MTRI program details, go to the MTRI Page.

EDUCATION
The Montana SUPERHOST Program provides affordable customer service training education to managers and front-line employees of businesses and organizations across Montana. The program is offered through a training contract with Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. The three-hour SUPERHOST training curriculum provides information about the importance of tourism in Montana's economy, the state's tourism information and service resources. For more details go to the Montana Superhost Page.
The Tourism Development Program is available to work with interested partners in coordinating and funding tourism education programs covering such areas as world and regional tourism trends, overseas and group travel, cultural tourism, consumer marketing, tourism publicity, customer service training, festival and event management, infrastructure development and more. Many of these topics are presented at the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism and Recreation organized by the Promotion Division and held each March or April.