With its mountains, lakes, historic villages, and small cities, Vermont is a global tourist destination.

The state’s 13 million visitors every year spend about $2.6 billion annually on lodging, food and drink, and goods and services, propelling tourism to be one of the largest industries in Vermont.

Vermont is a popular four-season destination, known as the top skiing state in the Eastern U.S. and as a haven for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. With dozens of locations to ski, hike, bike, camp, fish, hunt and enjoy water sports, visitors can enjoy outdoor recreation any time of year in Vermont.

The industry is further supported by top Vermont-based manufacturers of outdoor gear and clothing, including Burton Snowboards, Renoun Skis, Darn Tough and Dion Snowshoes.

Culinary tourism attracts thousands of consumers to the area each year, who travel here to taste and see where Vermont products are made. From farmers’ markets to cheese caves, sugarhouses, and tap rooms, Vermont is a foodie paradise. The annual Cheesemakers’ Festival has been praised by the New York Times and called one of the country’s “coolest” local food festivals by Conde Nast Traveler. Farm-to-table restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries are located throughout the state, offering some of the finest food and drink options available nationwide.

The state is home to diverse selection of lodging properties, from luxury full-service resorts, to farm-stays, small inns and bed and breakfasts and a network of over 50 scenic state campgrounds. Two Vermont lodging properties – Twin Farms (No. 15) and Rabbit Hill Inn (No. 30) – were recently rated by Travel + Leisure magazine as among the Top 30 hotels in the world.

Rounding out the travel experiences for visitors are intimate performing arts centers and artisan galleries that dot the landscape. The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington and the Paramount Theater in Rutland attract high-profile performances to Vermont, and Shelburne and Bennington Museums are home to many of the Northeast’s top art exhibits. For one weekend each Spring and Fall, visitors can get a first-hand look at fine crafts being produced during Open Studio Weekend.

REPRESENTATIVE VERMONT COMPANIES IN TOURISM AND OUTDOOR RECREATION