Joan Goldstein (Commissioner, Department of Economic Development) joined the Senate Economic Development Committee on Friday, along with Abbie Sherman (Executive Director, Vermont Economic Progress Council).

The following is a letter sent to the Senate Economic Development and House Commerce Committees on Friday April 22nd, 2022.

Tourism was one of the hardest hit industries by the Covid-19 pandemic with an estimated loss of over $700 million in revenue in 2020. We identified re-energizing tourism as a key early initiative in our Plan for Economic Recovery this Spring.

As we build back, we wondered what we can do to come back stronger and smarter than before. This lead us to hire Asher Crispe, an emerging technology consultant, to investigate how Vermont could leverage our brand and our place in the market to rejuvenate our small businesses that were hardest-hit by the pandemic.

We are exited to be able to share our findings and recommendations with you so you can learn more about this iconic Vermont industry and what you can do to help rebuild it.