Sullivan County wins $418,000 grant to boost tourism marketing

Sullivan County is set to receive $418,000 to push more travelers off the highway and into its towns, villages and downtowns. The goal is not just more visitors, but longer stays and more spending in places like Claremont, Newport, Charlestown, Sunapee and Grantham.

The money is being folded into Discover Sugar River Region NH, the county’s regional branding effort that presents the Sugar River Region as a single tourism destination. On the county’s website, the campaign points visitors toward upcoming event calendars, signaling that festivals, community gatherings and other public events are part of the pitch. That matters in a county where a day trip can quickly become a drive-through unless there is a clear reason to stop for lunch, shop, book a room or linger near the water and mountains.

Sullivan County, established in 1827, has also been laying groundwork for this kind of coordinated promotion for years. A county request for proposals dated Sept. 10, 2021, sought a tourism consultant for a Sugar River Region Destination Development Consultancy and Website Creation, calling for coordinated planning, management and marketing. The earlier RFP shows the county was already trying to build a shared identity for the region rather than leaving each community to market itself alone.

That strategy gives the grant a clear money trail. If the campaign works, the first beneficiaries should be the businesses that capture visitor spending fastest: restaurants, small retailers, lodging operators, recreation businesses and seasonal attractions. It also aligns with the county’s natural-resource profile. Sullivan County’s Department of Natural Resources manages county lands and works to preserve and promote natural resources, assets that fit the county’s mix of lake access, mountain scenery and outdoor recreation.

The practical test will be whether the grant produces visible traffic in the places that need it most. In towns such as Claremont and Newport, success would show up in fuller sidewalks, stronger event turnout, more overnight stays and steadier business for downtown merchants. In the broader Sugar River Region, the county is betting that a more unified brand can help local communities capture more of the spending from travelers who might otherwise continue on to the Upper Valley or the Lakes Region without stopping.