Montana Promotion Division

MONTANA TOURISM and
RECREATION INITIATIVE (MTRI)

As Montana continues to develop and market its tourism and recreation potential, coordination of efforts within the Montana tourism and recreation industry becomes increasingly important.

Interagency Coordination

The Montana Tourism and Recreation Initiative (MTRI) is a multi-agency cooperative working together to plan and fund mutually beneficial tourism and recreation projects that serve the needs of residents and visitors, both national and international. A common goal is to facilitate excellence in tourism and recreation experiences while protecting and conserving the social, cultural and natural resource values of Montanans. By combining time, funding and other resources, MTRI provides a vehicle for coordinated government sector projects. MTRI membership includes:

  • MT Department of Commerce
  • MT Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks
  • Montana Governor's Office
  • Montana Heritage Preservation & Development Commission
  • Montana Historical Society
  • Montana Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission
  • Montana State University Extension Service
  • MT Department of Transportation
  • MT Arts Council
  • Tourism Advisory Council
  • University of Montana - Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research
  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • US Bureau of Land Management
  • US Bureau of Reclamation
  • USDA Forest Service
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
  • National Park Service

MTRI ORGANIZATION

MTRI has three levels of activity: the directors level, working group level, and focus team level. Participating MTRI agencies have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Charter, which facilitate a cooperative environment.

MTRI DIRECTORS GROUP
MTRI agency directors meet as a group at least once a year for updates on organization activities, discussions regarding MTRI issues and projects, and making decisions on current and future MTRI activities.

MTRI WORKING GROUP
MTRI’s Working Group consists of tourism and recreation program or policy staff from the member agencies. The Working Group meets 4 to 6 times a year to discuss current projects, identify new issues or areas of interest to take on as projects, implements Directors’ decisions, confers with Directors regarding projects and the creation of Focus Teams to handle identified projects, conducts information sharing, and other organizational duties.

MTRI FOCUS TEAMS
MTRI’s Focus Teams implement projects identified by the Directors or Working Group. These teams involve Directors and Working Group members as well as project specific staff from member agencies. Focus Teams are project oriented and disband once the project is complete. Focus Teams are currently formed to work on coordinated Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Efforts, Electronic Media, and Research.