Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Curtiss Reed Jr., executive director of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity in Brattleboro.
In the year 2042, during the lifetime of the next generation of Vermonters, the United States will become a “majority minority” nation. As it stands, there are fewer non-Hispanic whites than other ethnic and racial groups in California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Texas, as well as in 13 of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.
The demographic shift in Vermont, albeit slower than the rest of the nation, is nonetheless happening. While our population shift may be at a slower pace, the pace of change in our regional markets from New York through the Mid-Atlantic states is accelerating exponentially. In real terms, in the not too distant future there will be fewer and fewer prospective white tourists to fill our state parks, ski slopes, hotel lodgings, boutiques and restaurants.
We believe Vermont’s tourism industry, led by the State of Vermont, must begin to aggressively market Vermont as a destination for the growing number of ethnic and racial minority tourists, trans-racial families, same sex couples and persons with disabilities.
One of the tenets of effective marketing is that consumers must be able to visualize themselves using the product. Advertisers influence the ability of potential tourists to visualize themselves in Vermont by populating their ads with people who look like their prospective consumers. Vermont’s tourism industry must seize the opportunity of creating this imagery for the emerging multicultural marketplace.
The mantra “Vermont is the whitest state in the union” or even the second whitest must be expunged from the mindset of Vermont’s tourism industry. While a true statement in terms of census-based statistics, the mantra itself sends unintended messages to minorities and to the Vermont tourism industry. Invoking the mantra obscures from view the opportunities present in multicultural marketplaces here in the United States and abroad.
The long-term effect of focusing exclusively on a shrinking pool of able-bodied, prospective white tourists places our hospitality jobs at unnecessary risk. Imagine 30 years from now the loss of jobs and tax receipts if only half the number of white tourists crossed our borders as a simple function of there being fewer whites.
According to the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, in the year 1999 visitors to Vermont supported approximately 37,500 Vermont jobs; in the year 2009 visitors to the state supported 33,530 Vermont jobs. That’s a decrease of 4,000 jobs over 10 years! Can we afford to let 4,000 jobs slip through our fingers in each of the next three decades until the year 2042 because we fail to pursue opportunities in the multicultural marketplace?
Showcasing Vermont’s minority artists, agricultural producers and processors, innkeepers, restaurant owners, skiers, bicyclists, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts on the official Vermont tourism website as well as Vermont travel industry websites would send a powerful message to the prospective minority tourist that they — and their dollars — are welcome. The same visualization holds true for same sex couples and persons with disabilities as prospective tourists. What better way to showcase the prevalent spirit of equity and diversity amongst Vermonters.
Private tour operators and relevant state agencies could promote bus or bicycle heritage tours to at least a dozen or so places of historical interest to African American history buffs, provide site accessibility information for prospective tourists with disabilities, or on facilities that cater to same sex couples and their families.
Now is the time to act on behalf of growing our tourism industry for generations to come. The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has begun to address the challenges, however they cannot do it alone. Not only must we get the Vermont brand before new markets but we must also prepare the next generation of workers to attract and retain all prospective tourists regardless of their demographic profile.
Let’s fulfill the promise of the spirit of Vermont by rolling out the welcome mat for everyone!
