Tourism industry leader Lori Harnois was confirmed by the Executive Council Jan. 8 as the first state tourism director appointed by the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and will begin Jan. 31.
Lori Harnois
For the past five years, Harnois served as executive director of Discover New England, a six-state collaborative international travel and tourism marketing organization based in Portsmouth. She has deep knowledge of New Hampshire’s tourism industry having previously served at the former Department of Resource and Economic Development.
“We are pleased to have Lori in this role as she brings tremendous knowledge, experience, and a forward-thinking approach,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “Tourism is critically important in New Hampshire as our second-largest revenue generator and Lori’s skillset, strategic vision, and expertise make her an easy choice for this critical state position.”
Under the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA), the tourism director role includes the execution of the state’s Tourist to Talent talent attraction plan. Under this strategy, Harnois will develop associated strategies to support business and workforce recruitment, using marketing and branding created for tourism to drive workforce development and strengthen New Hampshire’s growing economy
“Lori has more than 20 years of leadership promoting New Hampshire and New England as domestic and international tourism destinations, making her uniquely qualified to assume the role of state tourism director,” said BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell. “With keen marketing insights from the entire region, Lori will allow New Hampshire to refine its marketing, stand apart in the region and draw more visitors as we continue to reinforce that the Granite State is the premier destination in the northeast for living, working and playing.”
During her tenure at Discover New England, Harnois developed and executed a strategic direction for the promotion and marketing of New England, which resulted in a 22 percent increase in international visitation and a 41 percent increase in international visitor spending. Harnois also oversaw a full rebranding of Discover New England, while presiding over the region’s largest travel trade conference.
“New Hampshire is a unique and special place, I’m excited to have the opportunity to work for the division again,” Harnois said. “I look forward to sharing my passion for New Hampshire and applying my two decades of experience to attract people to the Granite State both from a tourism and an economic development perspective.”
Amy Bassett, deputy director of DTTD, has served as acting director since April 2019.
“New Hampshire is the premier travel destination in the northeast throughout the year, but nothing compares to winter in the Granite State,” said Commissioner Taylor Caswell of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. “During the winter season, visitors can experience world class skiing and riding, unique culinary experiences, tax-free shopping, and the beautiful scenery New Hampshire is known for.”
DTTD will launch its winter advertising campaign in early January, which targets the New England markets of Boston, Hartford, Portland and Providence, as well as New York, Toronto and Montreal.
To generate excitement for the skiing and snowboarding opportunities in New Hampshire, DTTD will display Powder Alert messages on social media and on digital billboards in key markets during snowstorms. DTTD will focus on skiing and snowboarding, family fun and snowmobiling as core winter activities, while also showcasing après ski activities and off-slope activities, such as snowshoeing, dining and shopping.
Explore www.visitnh.gov
for New Hampshire winter inspiration, including:
Stay connected with New Hampshire tourism on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube; follow the #LiveFreeNH tag to see what other people are saying about winter in New Hampshire.
With momentum building following successful fall and winter travel seasons, the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs expects significant growth for the summer 2019 travel season, projecting more than 3.6 million overnight visitors will spend about $1.9 billion – a 2.7 percent increase in visitation and spending over last year.
BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell, joined by representatives from BEA’s Division of Travel & Tourism Development and a local tourism partners, kicked off the summer travel season today in Littleton, unveiling its summer travel forecast and marketing campaign.
“As our state’s second-largest revenue generator, tourism is absolutely vital to our economy here in New Hampshire,” said Caswell. “Summer is our busiest travel season, representing more than 40 percent of our total annual visitation, and this year we’re anticipating substantial growth. We pride ourselves on our variety within proximity, which is never more evident than in summer, when visitors can experience an incredible range of experiences in one trip – or even just one day.”
The state’s summer marketing campaign continues to build on the Live Free brand, while positioning New Hampshire as the northeast’s premier travel destination.
BEA will focus its summer campaign on the New England market, including Hartford, Conn., Portland, Maine, and Providence, R.I., along with the major metropolitan markets of Boston, New York, Montréal and Toronto.
In addition to New Hampshire’s strategic marketing and advertising initiatives, lower gas prices and high consumer confidence as strong indicators supporting a successful summer season.
Parades and fireworks highlight the 4th of July holiday period in New Hampshire.
More than 1 million out-of-state visitors are expected to spend in excess of $155 million over the Fourth of July holiday, according to the Division of Travel and Tourism Development.
Spanning nine days between June 29 and July 8, the holiday period officially kicks off New Hampshire’s busiest travel season. Overall, DTTD expects a record-breaking 2018 summer travel season drawing more than 3.4million visitors who will spend $1.8 billion.
“The Fourth of July is a critical time for businesses and attractions throughout New Hampshire that draw visitors to experience outdoor adventures such as kayaking, biking, ATVing, and camping that are so popular during the summer months, as well as the state’s tax-free shopping,” said DTTD Director Victoria Cimino. “We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors from throughout the Northeast and beyond.”
The majority of people visiting the state during this holiday period will travel from New England and the Middle Atlantic states. Outdoor recreation, patriotic events and visiting friends and relatives are popular activities during the Fourth of July period.
Last year, Governor Sununu proposed the division of the Department of Resources and Economic Development, creating the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. Since its approval by the Legislature, this new agency has been a catalyst for increasing opportunities for New Hampshire to modernize and vastly improve the focus and practice of how we do economic development.
This couldn’t have happened at a better time. The practice of economic development has changed drastically over the past decade. States and cities are moving away from the longstanding focus on government-run business recruitment and standard worker ‘unemployment training’ programs that gave little thought to what might come next for those workers.
What does this mean for New Hampshire?
It means we can hone in on the needs of our businesses here first, and leverage our business community with our state’s regional strengths to develop a compelling case for new businesses to come here.
It means we build new, more innovative strategies to recruit talent to our state.
It means connecting education and training directly to employers and jobs.
It means a new, more aggressive entry into the global marketplace to find opportunity for our small businesses seeking new markets.
It means refreshed, meaningful relationships with our state’s incredible network of public and private academic institutions, linking them with state policymakers and business leaders statewide.
It means working to update and increase the predictability of the state’s regulatory environment and use our small and agile government as a true advantage.
It means constructing new partnerships and collaborations across a broad universe of stakeholders to focus on building communities where people want to live and work and telling that story effectively and to as many people outside the state as we can.
New Hampshire’s economy is growing fast. Companies are expanding or moving here, and people are working. In fact, in 2017, New Hampshire’s economy was the second fastest growing economy in the nation and our unemployment rate remains low.
My goal is to build this new system and create an economy that is resilient, vibrant, collaborative, intentional, and protects what we love best about New Hampshire.
The new Department of Business and Economic Affairs has the tools it needs to get there. We have the widely-respected Division of Travel & Tourism Development, which has a marketing team that is among the best in the nation and stokes the engine of New Hampshire’s crucial hospitality economy. In 2017, its work helped generate 2.23 million visitor trips to New Hampshire, which yielded $5.5 billion in spending, maintaining 48,000 jobs, and generating $269 million in tax revenue for the state.
Our Division of Economic Development helps businesses connect to, and fund, job training; works with existing and new business leaders to finance and expand their economic footprint; guides companies seeking to access global markets or win government contracts, and helps drive our entrepreneurial economy. Its work has direct impact on the profitability of our state’s employers and creates value for the state and residents.
The combined teams are creating new stakeholder collaborations, integrating marketing efforts and strategies, and working hard to establish New Hampshire as a leader in holistic, collaborative state economic development.
I look forward to working with you.
Taylor Caswell
Commissioner
New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs
New Hampshire’s Limitless Winter gets started at the Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo.
The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development expects 8.5 million people to spend an estimated $1.25 billion in the Granite State this winter, projecting 4 percent increases in both visitation and spending over last winter.
Stay connected with New Hampshire tourism onFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterestand YouTube, and follow the #LiveFreeNH tag to see what other people are saying about a Limitless Winter in New Hampshire.
At a media reception Nov. 10, prior to the Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo, DTTD unveiled its winter marketing campaign,position New Hampshire as the premier wintertime destination in the Northeast.
“Offering limitless opportunities within close proximity, New Hampshire is the leading destination for wintertime outdoor recreation in the Northeast,” said Victoria Cimino, director of DTTD. “With the division’s strategic and nationally-recognized innovative marketing initiatives, paired with favorable economic factors, we are confident New Hampshire’s tourism-focused businesses and attractions will experience a strong winter season this year.”
Nearly 10 million people are expected visit New Hampshire to see the fall colors over the next several weeks and will spend over $1 billion, reflecting an increase over last year’s foliage season.
Tourism is New Hampshire’s second largest industry and the foliage season draws people from around the world. This year, visitation, at 9.75 million people, will be 4 percent over last year and spending, at $1.5 billion, is a 5 percent increase from 2016, according to the Division of Travel and Tourism Development.
DTTD anticipates robust travel over the Columbus Day holiday, the state’s third busiest travel weekend, representing nearly 10 percent of all fall season visitations. Over that holiday weekend, about 710,000 visitors will spend more than $100 million – marking 5 percent increases in both visitation and spending compared to Columbus Day 2016.
Stay connected with New Hampshire tourism on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterestand YouTube, and follow the #livefreeNH tag to see what people are saying about New Hampshire.
“The continued growth in visitation and spending underscores tourism is a critical driver of New Hampshire’s economic infrastructure,” said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs. “The fall tourism season, particularly viewing foliage and enjoying varied outdoor recreation, is a major contributor to New Hampshire’s tourism businesses and attractions.”
During foliage season, the largest percentage of visitors comes here from outside New England. Research partners point to a number of positive indicators, including consumer spending, consumer confidence, employment growth, wage growth, and travel expenditures, as supporting a strong fall season. Reasonable gas prices and somewhat lower domestic airline ticket prices will also bolster visitation and spending.
DTTD’s blog/video series Live Free with Kris continues through the foliage season highlighting New Hampshire’s hidden gems.
Taylor Caswell becomes first commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
Taylor Caswell was sworn in by Gov. Chris Sununu as the first commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs on Tuesday afternoon.
The new department was created July 1 by an act of the state legislature. In his new role, Caswell will oversee the Divisions of Economic Development and Travel and Tourism Development.
“I look forward to continuing to strengthen New Hampshire’s economy as the first commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs,” Caswell said. “Through increased collaboration and finding new ways to enhance the state’s role as a partner, we will provide increased opportunities for existing and potential Granite State business owners, help create jobs for our citizens, and continue to grow as a destination for visitors from near and far.”
Caswell, a resident of Hollis and Littleton native, was most recently the executive director of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, where he served for three years. As commissioner of the BEA, he brings more than 20 years’ experience from the public and private sectors, including as the New England Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a small business owner, and more than a decade in Washington D.C.
The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs was established to provide focused leadership on the mission of expanding the state’s economy. The Department’s two major missions include providing a broad, integrated and collaborative set of economic development and tourism industry supports for New Hampshire businesses, its communities, and the people who live in them.
Stay connected with New Hampshire tourism on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, and follow the #livefreeNH tag to see what other people are saying about summer in New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development expects more visitors to spend more money this summer, compared to last. State tourism officials project New Hampshire will see 17 million visitors, who will spend $2.25 billion throughout the summer, a 4 percent increase in both visitation and spending.
Marking the beginning of New Hampshire’s busiest travel season, the Fourth of July week is expected to draw nearly one million out-of-state travelers and generate more than $150 million in spending from June 30 to July 4.
DTTD unveiled its summer marketing campaign earlier this spring, showcasing the ‘limitless’ activities, destinations and events offered throughout New Hampshire this summer.
“New Hampshire welcomes millions of visitors each year, generating billions of dollars in annual spending,” said Jeffery Rose, commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. “The summer travel season represents more than 40 percent of annual visitation and spending.”
DTTD anticipated increased overnight visits, extended weekend and day trips over last summer. DTTD research partners cited a number of economic indicators suggesting a successful summer tourism season, including a 10-year low in the unemployment rate and growth in U.S. travel volume.
Similarly, DTTD is expecting increases in occupancy rates at resorts, hotels, motels, bed and breakfast establishments and campgrounds over the Fourth of July period compared to recent years. During the Fourth of July period, visitors will travel here from New England and Middle Atlantic states.
The New Hampshire winter forecast calls more visitors and more spending, according to the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development.
During the months of December, January and February, DTTD projects 8.2 million people, 6 percent more than last year, will spend $1.2 billion, up 5 percent from last winter.
The announcement was made last weekend at the Boston.com Ski and Snowboard Expo, where visitors noticed New Hampshire’s expanded presence differentiating the state’s ski and snowboarding experiences from regional and global competitors.
To drive continued visitation with key target audiences throughout the winter season, DTTD is highlighting the activities and backdrops available throughout New Hampshire, on the slopes and off, through a variety of media and with an emphasis on digital media.
“With so much to do in such close proximity, New Hampshire is the center of winter outdoor recreation in the Northeast,” said Victoria Cimino, director of DTTD. “With positive economic factors in place, coupled with the division’s strategic and innovative marketing initiatives, we fully expect New Hampshire’s travel-related businesses and attractions to experience a strong winter season.”
For more information about winter activities in New Hampshire, click over to www.VisitNH.gov
