VermontVacation.com features the Vermont Travel Planner, which is the state’s most comprehensive listing of lodging, dining, attractions, and events. With an average of 285,000 searches for information each month, the planner is the most used portion of VermontVacation.com.   

The most recent feature on the Vermont Travel Planner is a new itinerary planner, which allows users to search for lodging, dining, recreation, attractions, shopping, and events by town or by region, and add them to a day-by-day itinerary.
Visitors and residents can use the itinerary planner to search for destinations and map their trip for easy driving directions. What makes the system unique is that visitors to the site can save their itinerary and then update it to add new events or change existing ones, even personalizing events such as visits to relatives.

The Vermont Travel Planner is part of the ConnectVermont Project, an ambitious program designed to integrate broadband, fiberoptic, and other technologies as part of a system to support both tourism and travel on Vermont’s roadways. Sen. Patrick Leahy has been instrumental in helping to secure nearly $15 million in federal Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) funding from the Federal Highway Administration since 2000.

For more information or to experience the Vermont Travel Planner, please visit www.VermontVacation.com

The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has awarded $100,000 in matching grants to 13 organizations and businesses through the new Fund for Tourism Marketing Initiatives (FTMI) program.
FTMI matching grants are intended to help organizations and businesses build or expand events, marketing programs, advertising campaigns and public relations programs that hold significant potential for measurable increases in out-of-state travelers to Vermont. The funds are awarded in the form of dollar-for-dollar matching grants in amounts up to $20,000.
The FTMI is comprised of $100,000 that was included in Governor Douglas’ 2007 fiscal year budget request for the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing (VDTM) and supported by the Legislature.  The VDTM received more than 65 matching grant applications. For a complete list of grant recipients, visit our industry website at www.vermontpartners.org.

VDTM has partnered with the Vermont Ski Areas Association and Cabot Creamery to produce television advertisements that promote winter in Vermont. The 30-second spots, which are being filmed at ski areas around the state, are currently airing on NBC in New York and ABC in Boston, our primary markets. To view the advertisements, visit www.VermontVacation.com and click on “Fresh TV.”

Visitors to the Green Mountain State spent more than $1.5 billion for goods and services in 2005, according to a recent study that measures the impact of visitor spending on the Vermont economy.

The survey, conducted by Economic and Policy Resources (EPR) of Williston, shows that in 2005 visitors made an estimated 13.4 million trips to Vermont and direct visitor spending totaled $1.57 billion. In addition, the study found that visitor spending, both directly and indirectly, supports more than 36,250 jobs (approximately 1 in every 10) for Vermont workers and business owners and added $196.4 million in tax and fee revenues to state coffers in the General, Education and Transportation Funds. The study also looks at many other aspects of the industry, including where visitors to Vermont come from, average visitor spending, visitor expenditures by category, seasonal occupancy rates for Vermont lodging properties and a comparison of lodging establishments by size.

The complete report is available online on the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing’s industry Web site at www.vermontpartners.org.

In 2009, Vermont will mark the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s exploration of the lake that bears his name. The Lake Champlain Quadricentennial will be a year-long celebration of Lake Champlain and the region’s rich cultural heritage, and its critical importance as a natural and recreational resource.

The Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission was formed by Governor Jim Douglas to plan the commemoration of this historic milestone. As chairman of the commission, my staff and I are working with many communities and organizations in planning this historic event.

The goal of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission is to plan, promote, and implement heritage tourism activities that will encourage learning and exploration of the area’s history, culture, and landscape by both visitors and Vermonters. The Commission will print the Lake Champlain 2009 Strategic Plan in January, and the website (www.CelebrateChamplain.org) continues to be upgraded.

We have some new faces at the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing. Below is an updated VDTM staff directory.

Bruce Hyde, Commissioner
Bruce.Hyde@state.vt.us

Steve Cook, Deputy Commissioner
Steve.Cook@state.vt.us

Claudia Clark, Business Manager
Claudia.Clark@state.vt.us

Greg Gerdel, Research & Operations Chief
Greg.Gerdel@state.vt.us

Erica Houskeeper, Director of Communications
Erica.Houskeeper@state.vt.us

Judy MacIsaac, Director of Sales & Promotion
Judy.MacIsaac@state.vt.us

Christiane Skinner, US & Canada Travel Specialist
Christiane.Skinner@state.vt.us

John Taylor, Internet Communications
John.Taylor@state.vt.us

Kerri LaRoe, Tourism Data Administrator
Kerri.LaRoe@state.vt.us

Susan White, Assistant to the Commissioner
Susan.White@state.vt.us

Support Staff:
Maryann Konstantin
Maryann.Konstantin@state.vt.us

VTDM participating consumer shows:
Adventure Expo, New York City, January 13-14
Dublin Holiday Trade Show, Dublin, Ireland, January 25-28
Salon du Velo, Montreal, February 16-18
New York Times Travel Show, New York City, February 23-24
Adventure Expo, Washington D.C, March 3- 4
Salon du Velo Expodium, Quebec City, March 9
Boston Globe Travel Show, Boston, March 24-25

VDTM participating trade shows:
American Bus Association Marketplace, Grapevine, TX, Jan 26
Discover New England Annual Tourism Summit and International Marketplace, Manchester, VT, March 25-27

We are seeking partners for the Adventure Expo in Washington, D.C. and the New York Times Travel Show. Call or e-mail Judy MacIsaac, Director of Sales & Promotion, at 802-828-5210 or judy.macisaac@state.vt.us.

One of the most frequent questions fielded by members of the Vermont tourism industry from visitors is “can you suggest something to do?” With that in mind, we want to remind you that the Events section of the Travel Planner on www.VermontVacation.com is a great resource for quickly looking up a wide variety of events by town, region, category, date and keyword. You will find hundreds of events in the Vermont Travel Planner. Here are some upcoming highlights from around the state.

Stowe Winter Carnival (Stowe) Jan. 19-21 - The 33rd Stowe Winter Carnival celebrates with the 2007 theme “The Stowe Must Go On” as the community highlights many reasons why people visit the winter wonderland land of Stowe.

Ludlow Winter Carnival (Ludlow) Feb. 3 - Celebrate winter in downtown Ludlow at the 2007 Winter Carnival. The event features a fun-filled day of outdoor activities for the whole family, including a snow sculpture contest, town parade, fireworks, bonfires, and more.

Jay Peak Resort Mardi Gras (Jay) Feb. 26-March 3 – Celebrate winter with New Orleans style food, music and fun. Enjoy live Cajun music, fireworks, zydeco dance lessons, mask making and delicious food.

The Vermont Flower Show (Essex Junction) March 9-11 - This event will celebrate how gardens in Vermont embrace both our natural communities and our strong cultural heritage. This year’s design explores the intersection between wilderness and human culture.

Vermont Maple Open House Weekend (Statewide) March 23-25 - The Sixth Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend will be held at sugarhouses throughout Vermont. The Open House Weekend is the public kick-off to the maple season in Vermont and is an invitation to the public to visit one or more sugarhouses throughout the state.