New regional tourism site launches
VisitNorthIdaho.com showcases area
COOLIN, IDAHO – With its abundance of lakes, rivers, mountains and vibrant communities, North Idaho makes a superb destination for vacationers and travelers. Now the North Idaho Tourism Alliance (NITA) has rolled out a newly redesigned website that aims to both lure visitors to the area, and ensure they can find all the fun activities afforded by the area's magnificent natural attractions.
The new website at VisitNorthIdaho.com showcases the region and provides those planning a visit with a vast array of things to do, events and community information.
"We're blessed here with so many terrific things to do, from all the outdoor activities to the excellent art and entertainment events that our towns put on," said NITA President Eileen Kain, of the Priest Lake Chamber of Commerce. "Our main goal with the new website was to help visitors discover it all." The new website provides more than 120 activities in 16 different categories of "Things to Do," from skiing and snowsports to golfing, hiking and lake activities.
The website also has extensive event calendars, photo and video galleries, plus descriptive write-ups and slide shows of each of the major communities in North Idaho, with links off to lodging options.
Helping visitors get to and enjoy North Idaho produces important economic benefits for the area's rural communities, said NITA Vice President Stephanie Sims, who is with the International Selkirk Loop.
"Tourism has a huge economic impact on our small communities," she said. "To help encourage travelers to visit these communities, we made our website a top priority for 2014 – so that it is the most comprehensive, content-rich resource for travelers looking to visit North Idaho."
Another prime goal in designing the new website was to help visitors navigate around North Idaho with extensive use of maps. Chris Bessler of Keokee, the media and marketing firm in Sandpoint that developed the new website, said it employs interactive maps to help visitors quickly visualize the location of communities and activities. "The mapping component will help visitors get to the area, and get around the area in an understandable way," he said.
See the new website at: VisitNorthIdaho.com.
The NITA mission is to enhance local economies by publicizing and marketing North Idaho as a travel and convention destination. NITA membership consists of 16 organizations including the Chambers of Commerce in Bonners Ferry, Coeur d’Alene, Harrison, Hayden, Post Falls, Priest Lake, Priest River, Rathdrum, Sandpoint, Silver Valley, Spirit Lake, St. Maries, and Wallace, plus the International Selkirk Loop, Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Trail, and the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation.