Travel Montana Calls for TIIP Grant & CTAP Participation Applications

August 1, 2002 Deadline

Helena, MT-June 6, 2002-- Applications for the 2002 Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program (TIIP) Grants and participation in the 2002/2003 Community Tourism Assessment Program (CTAP) are now available from the Montana Department of Commerce’s Travel Montana program. Both programs are financed through Montana’s tourism “bed tax” monies.

TIIP grants are for tourism-related “brick and mortar” projects. These projects include construction costs associated with building new and/or remodeling or preserving existing tourism and recreation attractions, historical sites and artifacts; costs associated with purchasing new and/or existing tourism and recreation attractions, historical sites and artifacts; and equipment purchased for specific tourism project operation. The 2002 TIIP Grant Pool is $150,000. Since 1995, TIIP Grants have invested over $1.5 million in Montana tourism “bed tax” funds into 31 projects in 26 Montana communities.

CTAP is an 8-month “self help” program offered Montana communities by MSU Extension, Travel Montana and the University of Montana’s Travel Research Program. Local community action committees use the process and its facilitation services to analyze local resident attitudes about and interest in tourism, their community’s tourism potential, gaps in visitor services, and the identification of affordable projects or actions that could strengthen the role of tourism in the local economy.

Three communities will be selected for the 2002/2003 session of the program. Two CTAP participation slots will be reserved for rural communities, those under 15,000 population, and one slot is reserved for an urban community. Twenty six Montana communities have completed the CTAP process since 1991.

The guidelines and applications for TIIP and CTAP are available on Travel Montana’s Intranet site www.travelmontana.state.mt.us/newsandupdates under the applications, regulations and form section or you may call Travel Montana at (406) 444-2654, FAX 444-1800, or email Travel Montana’s Tourism Development Coordinator, Victor Bjornberg at victor@visitmt.com. Applications for both programs are due into Travel Montana’s offices by 5 p.m. on August 1, 2002.

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