Ronan sees tourism opportunities
RONAN — As National Tourism Week winds down, the actual tourist season is gearing up and several Ronan residents and business owners got a reminder last week about the science and opportunity of it all.
Eight business representatives and several volunteers attended the free tourism workshop hosted by the Ronan Chamber of Commerce.
Broken down by numbers, statistics show that each summer visitor spends up to $150 per day, per person when visiting an area. Ten million out-of-state visitors spent $3 billion in the state last year, Montana SuperHost! “Passport to Service” presenter Lisa Jones told Ronan seminar participants last week. Although visitor numbers are projected to drop by 2 percent for the second season in a row, that’s better than the national average, Jones said.
Tourism revenue numbers in Lake County have been traditionally lower than in Missoula and Flathead counties. But Lake County is smack in the middle of a major state entry point at Interstate 90 and one of the biggest tourist draws in the nation - Glacier National Park - and Ronan Chamber of Commerce President Wayne Fuchs sees that as the golden opportunity. He’s at the helm of an effort to bring community organization into the equation and boost efforts to better cash in on the industry.
The training, which was held in Polson as well, reinforces the notions of making sure visitors know what is available within minutes, he said.
“There’s no real surprises about why people visit Montana, and we’ve got it here,” Fuchs said. “Training is so important because it reiterates the good and how to spread it. And bring it back to front line people- people at service stations and checkout counters and waitresses.”
Past Polson Chamber of Commerce board of directors member and perpetual Ronan Visitors’ Center volunteer, Fuchs has long been invested in the betterment of the community through organization. Since taking over in February, Fuchs and fellow board members have formed plan to get the local businesses in sync, with the chamber as the buoy.
Like any good plan, the restructuring of the chamber aims to make the chamber run more effectively, breaking work into the five committees to put people on projects they’re most passionate about. When things are getting done, Fuchs believes, that’s when Ronan will shine most brightly. Instead of centering the chamber around the board, the membership, events, marketing, government relations and beatification committees are aiming to form roots that feed the bigger picture.
“Once that happens, growth happens,” Fuchs said. “Now, we’re getting a lot of things crystallize, so we really know what we’re involved in and what things we should become involved in.”
Instead of work for annual Ronan events like Crab Fest falling on one person, the chamber events committee has spread the work out and form a “broad umbrella of relationships with government and other chambers in the valley,” Fuchs said.
Jones said investments into historical and cultural by communities increases the time visitors spend in a place like Ronan, and keeps them coming back.
Seminar participant and business owner Patti Winter found out this winter that the Visitors Center in Ronan might not open, she started a campaign to get volunteer into the center.
The old stage coach stop building is traditionally staffed by volunteers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday starting on Memorial Day. It’s a place where visitors can find pamphlets, brochures and maps to guide their trips, Winter said.
“We get a lot of people on the way up to Glacier, so it’s nice to get hold of them and send them to all the nice places to eat,” she said.
The campaign has drummed up enough volunteers to open on time, this year on May 26 after Memorial Day, and Winter is hoping that they can get enough volunteers to open on Saturday mornings as well - all to help visitors have a better experience.
Once she got talking to people, Winter said most of them are happy to help - another tool to help show off what the area has to offer.
“One of the top reasons people say they return to montana is the friendliness of the people,” Fuchs said. “The more that we can make people feel welcome here, the better the chances are they will return. . . Of course, any dollars that are generated are going to be to the benefit to the community. You do something because it’s the right thing to do. It’s a good philosophy, making people feel welcome.”