Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has launched its first dedicated tourism brand under the new positioning, “State of Inspiration,” designed to increase visitor intent and strengthen the state’s visibility, reports VermontBiz.com. The state’s DMO partnered with the place-branding firm DNCO on a nine-month initiative encompassing stakeholder engagement to develop Vermont’s first dedicated destination brand.

Admired but Overlooked

The 2025 study revealed that while Vermont is a beloved travel destination, it ranks 30th nationally for advertising recall and trails nearby Maine and Massachusetts in brand visibility. Some 79% of U.S. travelers rate Vermont as an appealing destination, yet only 15% spontaneously name it as a place they intend to visit.

The newly released Destination Management Plan for Vermont includes the important recommendations to refresh today’s Vermont brand experience.

“Tourism is a vital economic driver for our state, and our brand needs to be as compelling as the experience people actually have here, capturing the spirit of our communities and our creativity,” said Heather Pelham, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing. “This new brand feels true to who we are as Vermonters, while giving us a clearer story to share, inviting more people locally and globally to come and experience the inspiration that can be found here.”

Taking inspiration from Vermont’s handcrafted culture, the new brand mark is hand-lettered, paying homage to the hand-painted signs found across the state’s roadsides, storefronts and farm stands. The letterforms reference elements of the Vermont landscape, with the ‘e’ tracing a winding road, the ‘m’ forming mountain peaks and the ‘o’ depicting a moon above the mountains, a nod to the state’s brand.