BRATTLEBORO — RE: “A seat at the table: Are minority voices being heard in the SeVEDS process?” [News, July 10]:
Under the Shumlin administration, the Vermont Department of Tourism has been working to make the Vermont brand an inclusive brand.
The department understands that current projections show the United States becoming a “minority majority” nation by 2042; that last year marked the first time in our history that more children of color than white children were born in the United States; and that minorities accounted for 58.9 percent of Vermont's population growth for the decade ending in 2010.
The department created the African American Heritage Trail (AAHT) in an effort to enlarge Vermont's economic pie by attracting tourists from the multicultural marketplace. The AAHT has been promoted in major multicultural markets across the United States as well as at African American travel agency conventions; some Trail sites have already registered a new influx of tourists. The department ran its Pathway to Vermont campaign on Latin channels of Pandora.com.
Last year Vermont Life magazine acknowledged the state's changing cultural landscape and has since begun publishing more eclectic articles of a more inclusive and diverse Vermont. The magazine has expanded its freelance writing pool to include writers of color and is boosting its photo archives with images of Vermonters of color engaged in all manner of activity.
The department has been intentional in its pursuit of an inclusive marketing strategy. The department has moved from a state of benign neglect vis-à-vis the multicultural marketplace to active engagement.
Attitudinal and behavioral changes have begun to take root. In short, Department of Tourism leadership is expanding our economic pie by walking the talk of inclusion.