top of page

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

WHERE VISITORS INCREASE AFFORDABLE HOUSING

WHITEFISH, MONTANA, UNITED STATES

WHITEFISH, MONTANA, UNITED STATES

When booking trips, choose accommodations, restaurants and services that participate in sustainability programs so that your money supports local development and well-being. Whitefish, Montana, has a program that makes this easy for visitors and businesses.

What's
changing

When a town becomes more popular with visitors and remote workers are looking to relocate, hospitality workers are often negatively affected by rising costs of living, especially for housing. A lack of affordable housing makes it difficult for long-term residents to stay in their communities and leads to displacement, a loss of local culture and staffing shortages.

What's already

possible

In Whitefish, a voluntary sustainability fee funds programs that work to promote, plan and create affordable housing to combat increases in costs. Portions of the funds are also allocated to visitor education to give guests a better understanding of how to respect the local environment and community.

Seizing

the opportunity

Explore Whitefish’s Community Support Fund (CSF) is a voluntary 1% surcharge on bills for accommodations, restaurants or car rentals operated by member organizations. The funds gathered are used for sustainability initiatives, including housing, off-season marketing, grant programs and educational campaigns.

Standout

tactic

A unanimous vote in June 2024 called for 50% of restaurant CSF funds to be allocated to housing projects via Housing Whitefish, an organization established in part with CSF funds.

How

it helps

In 2023, Housing Whitefish selected architects to design its first project with 16 to 24 rental units for low and moderate income individuals. As of August 2024, the voluntary fund had directed 301,990 U.S. dollars toward housing initiatives.

Diving

deeper

How can sustainability funds ensure that short-term, affordable housing will not create a dependency on external funding or potentially hinder long-term solutions addressing underlying issues?

Increasing

impact

If funds for voluntary sustainability fees were matched by public-private partnerships or other non-profits, the fund could grow exponentially and accelerate solutions to a housing crunch.

Traveling

better

Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.

At a time when
humanity has become
disconnected from nature,
there are still some places that can help you return

home.

cariboo-thumbnail.png

VIEW MORE: RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

DON’T LET AI RUIN YOUR VACATION

THE GREATER GREAT OUTDOORS

DON’T FORGET TO PACK RESPECT

PUTTING VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS ON YOUR ITINERARY

WELCOMING TOURISTS 400 AT A TIME

BIKING IN ONTARIO'S HIGHLANDS

VOLUNTEERING IN THE VALLEY

MAKING NEW TRACKS TO DISPERSE CROWDS OF HIKERS

FIKA WITH NEW FRIENDS

TRANSFORMING A LOCAL QUEST INTO A GLOBAL MOVEMENT

FLOATING AWAY FROM THE CROWDS

VISIT A LIVING LABORATORY FOR SUSTAINABILITY

UNCONVENTIONAL USES FOR EVENT MATERIALS

DISHING UP SUSTAINABILITY WITH LOCALLY SOURCED MEALS

WHERE VISITORS INCREASE AFFORDABLE HOUSING

BEING SUSTAINABLE BEFORE IT WAS COOL

SKIP THE CROWDS FOR FREE DESSERTS

ADDING A TOXIC STOP TO THE ITINERARY

bottom of page