Gallatin County has created an expanded tourism business improvement district. The new tourism district will raise funds to be used to help tourism, promotion, and marketing within Bozeman, Belgrade, and Three Forks.

For the last 10 years, the Bozeman Tourism Business Improvement District has been housed by the City of Bozeman.

With that district set to expire in September, the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce asked Gallatin County to create an expanded district that would be more inclusive and representative of all areas served by the district.

Some 30 hotels in Bozeman, four hotels in Belgrade, and three hotels in Three Forks will be a part of the district the Gallatin County Commissioners approved this week to collect a $2 fee per night from hotel rooms. The new fees are expected to bring in approximately $1.2 million in Bozeman, $200,000 in Belgrade and $13,000 in Three Forks annually.

County Commissioner Don Seifert noted that while the district has been housed with the city, “it has become apparent that a lot of the tourism business happens in the valley” and expanding the district to include Belgrade and Three Forks is “really a logical place for it to be.”

“On behalf of the Gallatin Valley Tourism Business Improvement District, we look forward to expanding our representation of Gallatin County and appreciate the prompt attention from the Commissioners to all employees that assisted our short time frame to create this district,” said Daryl Schliem, president and CEO of the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce. “Thanks to the Commissioners’ support, we will not miss a beat in our marketing of Gallatin County and all it has to offer.”

This story was assisted by a press release from the Gallatin County Commission

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