BILLINGS, Mont., Tuesday, September 1, 2026 – Visit Billings is proud to announce Alex Tyson as the 2026 recipient of the Kevin Kooistra Award for Tourism Excellence, recognizing her extraordinary leadership, collaboration and lasting contributions to Billings’ tourism industry and the broader community.
The Kevin Kooistra Award for Tourism Excellence recognizes an individual whose leadership, vision and commitment have made a meaningful and lasting impact on tourism in Billings. Tyson embodies that spirit through a career defined not only by what she accomplished, but by her ability to bring people together, challenge the community to think bigger and build foundations that continue to move Billings forward.
Tyson served as Executive Director of Visit Billings for 13 years, a tenure that helped change the trajectory of tourism in the community. Among her most consequential accomplishments was her leadership surrounding the Billings Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), including its renewal in 2017. The TBID established a stronger and more sustainable foundation for destination marketing and visitor recruitment while strengthening the partnership between Billings’ lodging community and Visit Billings.
Tyson also helped establish Billings as a serious competitor in sports tourism. Under her leadership, Billings successfully recruited the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship, which was held in Billings from 2017 through 2020. She championed youth sporting events across wrestling, basketball, volleyball, hockey and soccer and led a sports-facilities feasibility study with Victus Advisors that gave the community important data and strategic direction around Billings’ facility needs and sports-tourism potential.
The impact of that work continues today. The feasibility study helped advance conversations about the role sports facilities could play in attracting visitors while also improving quality of place for Billings residents. It helped create a foundation for the collaboration and partnerships that have continued to grow Billings’ sports-tourism strategy and contribute to new investment in sports facilities across the community.
Throughout her tenure, Tyson understood that tourism could not succeed in a silo. She built partnerships across the lodging industry, sports organizations, public agencies, economic development, local businesses, venues and community leadership. That commitment to collaboration helped establish shared ownership of tourism’s role in Billings and laid the groundwork for projects and partnerships that continue to move the community forward.
“Alex represents the very best of destination leadership,” said Aly Eggart, Executive Director of Visit Billings. “She saw what tourism could mean for Billings and understood that realizing that potential would take strong partnerships, big ideas and a community willing to work together. She helped build that foundation, and we continue to see the impact of her leadership in the opportunities and investments moving Billings forward today. Alex has been a thought leader, a collaborator and a champion for this community throughout her career, and her lasting impact on tourism in Billings makes her incredibly deserving of this recognition.”
Tyson’s influence extended across nearly every area of destination development. She helped recruit major national events and conferences, supported air service development, advanced visitor-experience initiatives and led strategic planning that established priorities that continue to shape tourism development in Billings. Her efforts created momentum that extended well beyond her own tenure.
That lasting impact is particularly fitting for an award honoring Kevin Kooistra, whose career was similarly rooted in a deep belief in Billings, its stories and its potential. Like Kooistra, Tyson has demonstrated that meaningful tourism leadership is ultimately about community: understanding what makes a place special, bringing people together around a shared vision and doing the work necessary to leave it stronger for those who come next.
Today, Tyson serves as Vice President of Enterprise Communications and Integration at Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), continuing her career within the tourism industry.
Tyson will be presented with the Kevin Kooistra Award for Tourism Excellence during the Billings Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Annual Business Celebration on Thursday, September 24, at the Billings Hotel & Convention Center.
About the Kevin Kooistra Award for Tourism Excellence
The Kevin Kooistra Award for Tourism Excellence honors individuals whose leadership, collaboration, innovation and commitment have made a lasting contribution to tourism in Billings. Named in memory of longtime Billings historian and community advocate Kevin Kooistra, the award celebrates those who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the community and help strengthen Billings as a place to visit, live and experience.
