Chamber luncheon explores tourism

SANDPOINT — The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce would like to welcome area residents and businesses to its June general membership luncheon next week.

The luncheon will be held from noon-1 p.m. on Thursday, June 14, in the community room of the Panhandle State Bank building. The impact and evolution of tourism in Sandpoint will be discussed.

Did you know the chamber is the go-to resource for tourism in Sandpoint? The chamber administrates a $100,000-plus grant from the Idaho Tourism Council. They also operate two visitor centers, one downtown and one on Highway 95 just outside of town, and see more than 10,000 visitors annually.

In September, during the chamber’s strategic planning, the chamber adopted a new mission statement which includes tourism because tourism is an important industry to our town and many of our citizens. The mission statement reads: “We are an advocate of business development and tourism for the greater Sandpoint area.”

This luncheon will look at the state of tourism in Sandpoint under a business SWOT analysis which looks at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats from Sandpoint’s tourism leaders and experts. Also, the luncheon will explain the chamber’s vision for the future and some new initiatives coming out of the Visit Sandpoint Council, the Destination Marketing Organization part of the chamber. This panel will be ready to field any questions in this interactive and informal setting.

Among the experts taking part in the panel discussion are Chris Bessler, president of Keokee, Linda Mitchell, co-owner of Lake Pend Oreille Cruises, Tom Chasse, chief executive officer of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and Justin Dick, owner of Trinity at City Beach. Their expertise in tourism is extensive because they are entrenched in the industry. They will be able to provide accurate and insightful answers to questions regarding the area’s tourism outlook.

Greater Sandpoint Chamber officials invite everyone to attend the luncheon. Reservations are required and space is limited. The meetings do fill up and officials have to turn away walk-ins occasionally.

Please register online at www.sandpointchamber.com or call 263-2161 to reserve a spot.

Registration starts at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.