Kalispell earns state tourism awards
Kalispell has earned two top state awards in the 2015 Montana Tourism Awards competition.
Winners were announced Monday at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation in Helena.
The Montana Pond Hockey Classic, sponsored and promoted by the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, won Event of the Year.
Kalispell also won the Film Friendly Community award.
The Lodge at Whitefish Lake also was a winner at the conference, receiving the Four Diamond Award from AAA Mountain West.
The annual awards honor outstanding businesses, destinations, organizations and people who have contributed to Montana’s tourism success.
Other winners included Fairmont Hot Springs for Outstanding Tourism Campaign of the year; Big Sky-West Yellowstone for Gateway Community of the Year; John and Courtney McKee, owners of Headframe Spirits in Butte, as Tourism Ambassador of the Year; and “The Orphan Girl,” a short film produced to bring national awareness to Butte, as Grant Project of the Year.
The Montana Pond Hockey Classic was developed as a shoulder season event to build on the popularity of hockey in Kalispell’s target markets: Canada and the Pacific Northwest. The inaugural event drew 51 teams with 85 percent of participants from out of market, generating a $632,613 economic impact to the Flathead Valley.
The 2015 Montana Pond Hockey Classic, which was relocated to Woodland Park after unseasonably warm winter weather, drew 61 teams, with 81 percent of participants from out of the area.
The Montana Office of Tourism nominated and selected winners for the Grant Project of the Year and Film Friendly Community awards. For all other categories, winners were nominated and chosen by their peers. More than 1,800 tourism industry professionals were invited to participate.
Kalispell was one of six nominees for the film award as a community that was inviting, engaging, and proactive in assisting and promoting film and media projects, according to Dan Iverson of the Montana Office of Tourism.
The other nominees were Big Sky, Bozeman, Butte, Missoula and Sidney.
According to Iverson, Kalispell won for its contribution to projects such as the film “Absolution,” the HGTV series “Living Big Sky” and the Kayla Adams music video “Sober & Sorry.”
Other area nominees for state awards included the Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau Chicago campaign for Outstanding Tourism Campaign; Columbia Falls for Gateway Community; Stumptown Art Studio’s “Windows on Whitefish” mural project for Event of the Year; and Pat Tabor of Swan Mountain Outfitters and Port Polson Players for Tourism Ambassador.
“Montana’s tourism industry continues to achieve success due to the hard work of Montanans across the state,” Gov. Steve Bullock said in a press release. “These awards recognize the most innovative and resourceful projects and people who make tourism one of Montana’s leading industries.”
The Four Diamond Award puts The Lodge at Whitefish Lake among 1,544 hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean earning the highest honor from AAA.
“The Lodge at Whitefish Lake provides extensive services and amenities to visitors in plush and luxurious surroundings,” said Anna O’Donnell of AAA Mountain West. “The personalized service and attention to detail they deliver ensures each and every guest leaves with an unforgettable experience.”
Brian Averill, owner/operator of The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, accepted the award Monday at the tourism conference.