Two locals honored for tourism work

Two Whitefish residents took home top awards at the Governor's Tourism Conference in Helena last week

Rhonda Fitzgerald, owner of the Garden Wall Bed and Breakfast and a member of the Governor's Tourism Advisory Council, received the Tourism Person of the Year Award.

For several decades, Fitzgerald has been a steadfast advocate for tourism. She has been instrumental in both developing and promoting the Tourism Advisory Council's Tourism Charter as well as the statewide Branding Initiative. She is also an active member of the National Geographic Geotourism Council.

In her hometown, Fitzgerald helped establish the Glacier Nordic Center and the downtown farmers market. She was a founding member of the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau, connects people and businesses to local growers through FarmHands, is an active member of the Heart of Whitefish downtown merchants association, and has researched and lobbied the legislature on tourism-related bills.

The Tourism Partnership of the Year award was presented to the Crown of the Continent Geotourism Council. Whitefish resident Steve Thompson was the project coordinator for the council, which joined National Geographic in putting the concepts of geotourism on a unique map guide. He accepted the award on behalf of the council.

The Crown of the Continent surrounds Glacier and Waterton national parks. Geotourism looks at tourism as a tool for sustaining and enhancing the character of a place.

Twenty-two U.S. and Cana-dian organizations helped National Geographic create the map guide by inviting regional residents to share what they felt was special and unique about their area. A total of 640 nominations were received, 130 are highlighted on the map guide, and hundreds more are part of a companion Web site that the Council had created.

The map is available at the library in downtown Whitefish.