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CHECK_FLOKI t1_iyfyslf wrote

I've been all over the world and Vermont is easily one of the most blessed places in terms of natural beauty. In the US I think only California beats it for natural beauty.

Ski, snowboard and ice fish in the winter. Go boat riding, hiking fishing, kayaking in the summer.

Unfortunately, it's not really a place you can make a lot of money. NIMBY policies have regressed economic growth so badly that the state depends on tourists for money. If you're a young person, you have to leave the state for economic opportunities. Go to Boston or New York, but don't forget to come home to enjoy the beauty from time to time.

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rufustphish t1_iygzbnl wrote

The tourist industry is about 10 percent of our gdp and not a livable wage easily found within it. I wish this thought that we depend on tourists would fade away, It's not based on reality or facts and makes our state seem dependent on others

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CHECK_FLOKI t1_iyi1i8k wrote

Whether or not it contributes 10% of Vermonts GDP is pointless. What matters is the percentage of the state's revenue that tourism accounts for.

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Alarmed-Swing-9114 t1_iym9pfs wrote

It’s 10% of the workforce, a little less than 10% of GDP, and the tax revenue is less than 5% of the state’s budget. So it’s impact is minimal at all levels, and yet we pretend it’s the only thing driving the entire state’s economy.

The issue is that we have certain areas of the state that have built themselves up 100% around tourism revenue. Stowe would not survive without tourists. Burke wouldn’t either (most of the northeast kingdom would be pretty screwed). So the impact of way less tourism would be disproportionate depending on where in the state you were.

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Vermonter623 t1_iz72zu9 wrote

Except then every idiot and their brother would flood here and it would become new jersey. We need to keep this state small. Let all the idiots move to chittenden county. Keep the rest for us natives

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