Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing announced Dec. 17 the recipients of the Transformational Tourism, Events, and Regional Marketing (T-TERM) Grant Program. The T-TERM grant program was created to help events and communities offering unique visitor experiences to expand and/or market themselves to attract more out-of-state visitors and increase overnight stays.
“These grants are funding projects that will help revitalize communities across the state,” said Governor Phil Scott. “Tourism is an important part of our economy, and our small businesses, restaurants and shops all benefit from the revenue brought in by visitors coming to Vermont.”
Sixteen organizations will share $1,496,838 in T-TERM funding. Of the 16 grants, three are for statewide initiatives and 13 are regionally based. Grants fit into the following categories: arts and culture events (one award), development of creative assets and targeted marketing campaigns (five), outdoor recreation events and promotion (three), festivals (two), and destination development (five).
Local T-TERM grant recipients include:
Come Alive Outside will use $79,000 to expand Rutland County’s Winterfest into a multi-day event by adding a chili cook-off, freestyle snowboarding competition, and a snowmobiling expo. They will also expand the Winterfest Drag Show and turn the snow carving event into a U.S. National Snow Sculpting qualifier.
Kelly S. Brush Foundation will use $62,750 to engage and inspire individuals to take advantage of adaptive-accessible mountain biking opportunities.
Mad Valley Sports is using a $52,970 grant to expand the Mad Marathon by adding a Kids Fun Run, Mad Mile for teenagers, and expand participation to adaptive athletes in the Mad Half, 10K, and 5K events. There will also be a promotional campaign targeting hearing-impaired guided runners and hand cycle athletes.
Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce will use a $78,000 grant to launch a social media, influencer, and digital marketing campaign to promote tourism, create virtual tours, and promote eight regional events.
Vermont Cheese Council will use an $85,000 grant to transform the Vermont Cheese Festival into Vermont Cheese Week to take place between Labor Day and before foliage season begins. The council intends to market the event to younger and more diverse people with an advertising and social media campaign.
Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) will use a $150,000 grant to encourage multi-day tourism by creating a statewide visitor guide to mountain biking featuring 36-, 48-, and 72-hour itineraries along 12-16 trail-centered destinations. The guide will also list resources for lodging, food, gear shops, and more.
“By design, these grants are funding projects that have the potential for long-term impact in attracting more visitors,” said Tourism Commissioner Heather Pelham. “We’re really excited to see these creative projects come to life to fuel visitor spending in regions throughout the state, now and into the future.”
