Spotlight on Northeast Programs: Vermont University of Vermont Extension has a long history of providing applied research and outreach to benefit communities, organizations,
with educational institutions, governmental agencies, local communities, non-profit organizations, and private sector businesses throughout Vermont and also around the US and abroad. A collaboration among UVM Extension, the UVM Center for Rural Studies, and the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, the Vermont Tourism Research Center runs several tourism and recreation programs focused on the intersection of community development, food systems, environmental conservation, and stewardship of working lands. Programming of the Vermont Tourism Research Center and UVM Extension shifts to address current and emergent issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and workforce development. The Center and UVM Extension are renowned internationally for their leadership in agritourism research and outreach, with plans to host the International Workshop on Agritourism August 30 – September 1, 2022.
businesses, and governmental agencies in Vermont. Beginning in 1983, UVM Extension faculty organized the first statewide tourism conference, the Vermont Travel Industry Conference. The purpose of that half-day session was to provide members of the tourism industry with information and research data available through the University. Almost 40 years later, the conference continues as a multi-day event that rotates throughout the state and is run by an independent non-profit with Extension representation on the Board of Directors, along with other public and private sectors leaders in Vermont’s tourism industry. In 1992, the Vermont Tourism Research Center began as a partnership between the University of Vermont and the state government’s Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing. Today, the Center collaborates
University of Vermont Extension workshop held at Sandiwood Farm, VT. Courtesy of Lisa Chase, UVM.
12 Extension Tourism: Impact and Opportunities of Land- and Sea-Grant Programming
extensiontourism.net
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