Ups and Downs (but mostly up) of leisure and business travel

Vermont Business Magazine, Mar 01, 2004 by Brush, Cassandra Hemenway

Another indicator that Vermont tourism is on the rebound comes in the form of Welcome Center statistics. With over 4 million visitors annually to Vermont's Welcome Centers (at latest count), Commissioner Hyde pointed out that it sugars out to a startling ratio of 7 visitors per capita.

"We are the only state that has more than a one to one ratio of welcome center visitors per capita," Hyde said. "It says people are stopping at our welcome centers more to use rest rooms because there's not any other kinds of visible place to stop at the exits."

And that helps Vermont because Welcome Center staff often help visitors find events, restaurants, and lodging.

Convention Biz Buzz

While leisure tourism appears to be making a comeback, business tourists - or conventioneers - have been slowly backing off However, even convention business may be coming back in 2004.

Cindy Locke, director of sales for the Vermont Convention Bureau headquartered in Burlington, reported that the pharmaceutical industries have remained strong while other corporate business has waned for the last three years.

"It has helped with our southern and central Vermont properties," she said, noting that many pharmaceutical companies locate in Massachusetts and Connecticut. "It's gone down some, but for the corporate side of it, that's been the strongest, especially for high-end resorts that rely on (corporate business)."

Joe Carton, general manager of the 256-room Wyndham Burlington, said he relies on "group business" for about 27 percent of the Wyndham's revenues.

"It hasn't been exceptional like 1999 or 2000," he said, "but it's been pretty respectable."

Conventions and group business often get planned years ahead of time. Locke said she's currently looking at projects into 2012. So after the threat of terrorism and an economic downturn, Vermont hotels still had bookings from years prior to count on.

Carton said he's come to rely on associations and government for group business. Corporate business, he said, has fallen, and what does come through is now getting booked with less and less lead time.

For example, Carton said, he just booked a meeting with only two months notice, far less then the years' advance conventions and meetings usually get.

"Now it's quarter to quarter on the corporate meeting side," Carton said. "If you can get them in, that's great."

Alan Hebert, Director of Sales and Marketing at Burlington's Sheraton said 2003 "was a challenge."

"Business travel is still down," he said. "That's a pretty big core of our business. We're about 50/50 between group and transient. Of our transient, 60 to 70 percent is business related."

Hebert said events that used to book 8 to 10 months in advance "now book one month out."

"I think there's a certain level of uncertainty on the corporate side," he said. "People are being a little more cognizant about what they're spending and how much they're spending on the price point."

Hebert said while group business went down, leisure travelers went up.

"That trend in 2004 has continued," he said, "and group is starting to come back a little. It looks like 2004 is going to be a stronger year for us than 2003."