BENNINGTON CHAMBER LAUNCHES FIRST REGIONAL SHIRES OF VERMONT VISITORS GUIDE

The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce unveiled the new regional visitors guide. The area guide, a staple of the Chamber’s tourism efforts, is updated yearly and distributed throughout the Northeast as a way to showcase the region’s various tourist attractions. 

This year, as the Chamber announced its 2020 Vision to become a fully regional chamber, the visitors guide took on a new mission as well.

“This is our first real, tangible effort as a Chamber to come alongside the entire region, from Manchester and the mountains to Bennington and the valleys, and demonstrate our 2020 vision of regionalizing,” states executive director of the Chamber, Matt Harrington.  “Along with our traditional Bennington base of businesses and attractions we have also worked to incorporate a large amount of Manchester and the Northshire in this piece as well.  We took a bold move and have renamed the visitors guide, which was originally the ‘Bennington, Vermont Area Guide’ to ‘The Shires of Vermont Visitors Guide: Serving Bennington to Manchester.’”

The visitors guide is 104 pages (up from 68 pages last year) and highlights the members of the Chamber, which currently number 350. The piece is filled with vibrant photos of the area, directories of businesses and attractions, and has a full Shires of Vermont fold out map in the middle and magazine-like narratives throughout the piece focusing on various elements of the Shires.  The guide provides tourists with destinations in the region that include shopping, dining, services, lodging and activities throughout the year.