COVID-19 has changed and impacted every single one of our lives, including businesses in Stowe, where tourism is a crucial sector for our town and the Vermont economy.
Safety is the No. 1 priority. A vibrant economy and public safety can coexist. Many of Stowe’s residents are owners or employees of businesses that support our hospitality-driven economy. With health and travel guidelines changing almost daily, these businesses — including lodges, restaurants, shops, activities and attractions — have had to navigate significant changes, and have done so collaboratively.
For example, a number of businesses had to make adjustments on the fly and adapt to survive, such as offering delivery and/or pickup service; building an online ordering system; and setting up new safety practices.
For an economy that relies heavily on visitors and has hosted travelers for more than 200 years, the disruption to business has been strongly felt, to put it mildly. From the early days of the pandemic, the biggest challenge for this four-season mountain destination town has involved striking a balance between being safe and supporting the livelihoods of our family, friends and neighbors. Many had to close down or dramatically change operations, leaving area residents unemployed or underemployed, while working to secure funding to continue business operations.
Navigating new health procedures to reopen has been another challenge, including quarantine restrictions that limit who can travel here and opening in a limited capacity, while diplomatically balancing customer demand.
As a result, it’s been difficult for our organization to fulfill part of its mission. Established in 1945, Stowe Area Association is a member-based destination marketing organization that promotes the Stowe region as a vibrant, world-class destination. This means, in part, promoting our abundant historical, cultural and recreational activities — from the mountain to Main Street — while enhancing the quality of experience for our guests. This effort also includes maintaining and greeting guests at the Stowe Visitor Information Center, as well as operating central reservations for area lodging properties.
How do we support all local businesses when we’re closed for business as usual? The Stowe Area Association had to immediately pivot and shift its focus and reimagine. While we’ve always been a business, community and visitor resource, we stepped up to provide information on the changes happening fast to help all businesses, beyond our membership. We did that through the creation of a COVID-19 banner at the top of our website, gostowe.com. Our business resource page features the latest resources from key officials (such as the Centers for Disease Control, the Vermont Department of Health, the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development) and information on how to navigate the crisis, including staffing, unemployment, and funding opportunities.
We also quickly launched a business operations page to provide updates as they happen, and a travel update page to distribute up-to-the-minute news to prospective guests and the community. These resources were shared with area businesses and to prospective guests through a variety of communication channels, including email, social media and website.
We’ve also had to reinvent the reopening of the visitor information center, which will continue to provide public restrooms and area information. Reopening consists of safety measures and a more digital focus, such as prompts on the TV or posters on the wall directing guests to information on our website, gostowe.com.
Because one aspect of our mission involves enhancing the quality of life of area residents in a manner that improves the economic well-being of the community and consciously promotes environmental integrity, the Stowe Area Association took the opportunity to expand beyond our membership and further align with community partners. We have stepped up to serve as the communication hub for members, businesses at large, local/regional legislators, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and town officials, while continuing to build relationships with the state government, Stowe Vibrancy, Stowe Mountain Resort, event producers and media outlets, and establishing new relationships and collaborative partnerships with Revitalizing Waterbury, the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce and other New England destination marketing organizations.
As things began to reopen, we developed a Return To Stowe campaign to promote that we’re reopening with an uplifting message, while at the same time monitoring and disseminating safety and travel guidelines.
If there’s one thing to understand about the Stowe business community, it’s how collaborative and supportive each is of the others. Their resilience and creativity in how they’ve adapted and opened within safety and capacity guidelines are admirable; yet, more is needed to overcome the long-term impacts of this pandemic. Our association plays an essential role in promoting the health and safety of our businesses, communities and visitors. It’s important to hear directly from business owners who have experienced these challenges and who rely on their own community’s support just as much as they rely on the visitors.
Additional perspectives will be shared in a series to follow. Until then, we remain #StoweStrong and look forward to seeing our guests safely #ReturnToStowe.
Carrie Simmons is executive director of the Stowe Area Association.
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