Looking forward to tourism in Vermont - Vermont Biz

ROADMAP TO REOPENING

Vermont Business Magazine Friday, April 9th, marked the start of the Vermont Forward reopening plan, which Governor Scott announced earlier this week. With this plan, our tourism industry has much to look forward to starting today. VDTM would like thank all – innkeepers, hospitality staff, food service professionals, front-line workers, owner-operators, Vermonters, visitors and everyone in between, alike – for your patience, tenacity, creativity, advocacy, and generosity of spirit in supporting each other as we worked toward this moment, and our bright future ahead.

Highlights of the plan include:

• New Travel Policy: Effective today, quarantine is no longer required. Instead, unvaccinated visitors will need to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result within three days prior to arrival in state. The certificate of compliance for lodging establishments is still required until travel restrictions are fully lifted, currently scheduled for June 1st.
• Shift to Universal Guidance: Effective today "Group A" sectors in the Vermont Forward plan will move to universal guidance measures for business operations, including outdoor recreation, retail and lodging. All remaining business sectors ("Group B") can plan to move to universal guidance on May 1st, including restaurants, bars and indoor arts and culture organizations. Individual businesses may choose to implement more restrictive measures as needed for their operations.
• Events Update: Event organizers can now plan for indoor and outdoor event and gathering sizes to increase gradually from May 1st until July 4th, based on the venue size and the number of vaccinated and unvaccinated guests. Outdoor events and gatherings remain strongly preferred.

VERMONT FORWARD PLAN WEBINAR

ACCD and VDTM will host a webinar on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 3:00pm to answer questions about the Vermont Forward Plan as it relates to business operations, events, and cross state travel. Questions must be submitted prior to the webinar via this webform and will be collated into themes to be answered during the webinar.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Vermont businesses continue to be encouraged to take advantage of the federal and sector-specific financial assistance programs currently available including: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): The deadline has been extended until May 31st. The Vermont District Office of the SBA continues to offer two weekly webinars on First and Second Draw PPP loans and PPP loan forgiveness. Vermont Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funding: A second round of sole proprietor grants, ranging from $1,500 and $10,000, are now open to qualifying sole proprietors on a first come, first served basis. Technical assistance resources are available on the grant program website. Cultural Facilities Grants: Offered by the Vermont Arts Council, applications for awards of up to $30,000 to Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities to increase the physical capacity to provide cultural activities for the public are now being accepted through June 7th.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

As the 2021-22 Legislative Biennium enters its fourth month, several policy and funding priorities related to travel and tourism are moving forward: H.159: This economic and community development bill includes an additional $2.5 million in one-time funds to VDTM for destination marketing to help Vermont and the hospitality industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the long-term funding and consumer stimulus initiatives proposed by the Administration were removed in the latest version passed by the House, the Senate is still taking testimony and deliberating. Depending on the final appropriation, VDTM is currently preparing to launch a summer/fall campaign with a historic investment of up to $3 million in regional and national advertising. H.315: In the final stages of passage, this COVID-19 relief bill currently includes $10 million in additional economic recovery grants targeted at Vermont businesses who have been unable to access financial assistance; $500,000 in micro-business EMBRACE grants; $5 million in outdoor recreation funding for VOREC community grants; and $5 million for recreation infrastructure and improvements to trail networks. S.79: As passed by the Senate, this housing bill includes the establishment of a fee-based registry and a complaint-based inspection program for both long-term and short-term rentals in Vermont. The House is currently taking testimony and deliberating the final provisions. Property owners looking for more details should contact the Vermont Chamber of Commerce or the Vermont Short-Term Rental Alliance.

TOURISM INDUSTRY WEBINARS

UVM Extension is hosting a virtual gathering on April 20th where you will hear stories from around the world on the relationship between agritourism and culinary tourism. Focused on food and drink tourism, panelists will describe how they foster shared experiences that embrace an authentic taste of place—and attract tourists interested in supporting localized foodways and rural livelihoods. In case you missed it, the Vermont Tourism Summit held the second event in the Resilience Exchange Virtual Series earlier this week, focusing on how Vermont's attractions have weathered the COVID-19 storm. Watch the recording to learn about best practices from the panel discussion.

COMING SOON: NEW TOURISM EVENTS CALENDAR

VDTM is preparing to launch a new events calendar on VermontVacation.com. If you are planning an event for this summer or fall, we’d love to include it in the new calendar. Please send an email to Sara.DeFilippi@vermont.gov if you are interested and we will follow up with next steps. Don’t have an event? Make sure your business is listed on our trip planning directory by signing up.

Source: Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing 

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