Rachel Lenda named Director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism

As part of the latest reorganization of the Connecticut Office of Economic and Community Development, CT native Rachel Lenda (pictured, above) has been named Director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism, succeeding previous Director Noelle Stevenson who retired in 2023.

Whereas most recently the Tourism Director has reported to the Director of DECD, Ms. Lenda will report to Chief Marketing Officer Anthony Anthony - a new position created in 2023. Mr. Anthony in turn reports to DECD Director Alexandra Daum, who was appointed to that position by Gov. Ned Lamont in January 2023.

Previously Ms. Lenda held leadership positions at Hard Rock Cafe and Connecticut's Eastern Regional Tourism District.

In October 2023, Connecticut - characterized at the time by the New York Times as "Stuffy, Preppy, Sleepy" - dropped its "Still Revolutionary" tagline in favor of "Make It Here", which relates primarily to manufacturing, and to which was shortly thereafter added "Find Your Vibe". Objective for the rebrand was announced at the time to be to foster continued economic growth and instill greater pride in residents. Glastonbury ad agency Cronin developed the new branding and logo.

Alexandra Daum

CT Gov. Ned Lamont has nominated DECD Deputy Commissioner Alendra Daum to be the next Commissioner of DECD, succeeding David Lehman who left office at tnd of Gov. Lamont'd first term.

The Connecticut Office of Tourism is a part of DECD.

At her confirmation hearing before the Senate Nomination Committee, Ms. Daum indicated that as Commissioner, marketing the state's culture and tourism assets would be one of four focus areas. DECD recently hired as Director of Tourism Noelle Stevenson, who previously headed visitors' bureaus in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties in Florida.

But the biggest challenges Ms. Daum faces are on the economic side, driven by soaring inflation and layoffs and relocations of some of the state's biggest employers:

• Lego has announced plans to relocate to Boston in 2025.
• Campbell Soup has said it will move its Pepperidge Farms operations to New Jersey.
• Sikorsky Aircraft may be about to lay off 800 employees.
• Biotech company GeneDx has announced it will close CT operations

At the same time, CT employers have thousands of jobs they're unable to fill - at least in part because of a shortage of affordable housing within commuting distance of jobs.

That's a lot of challenges.

The Nominations Committee approved Ms. Daum's nomination. which likely makes her confirmation by the full Senate a sure thing.

Will she be able to fix the CT economy while gaining tourism market share? Stay tuned.

Service will be seasonal on an annual basis until business travel recovers

Aer Lingus and the Connecticut Airport Authority announced this week that the Irish flag carrier will resume daily nonstop flights between Bradley International and Dublin beginning 26 March 2023, initially on a seasonal basis.

The Aer Lingus flights will be the only direct service to Europe from Bradley, with connections to 28 European cities including London, Paris, Berlin and Rome.

Aer Lingus began flying into Bradley in 2016, but the service was interrupted in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tickets are available now, with round-trip rates starting at $459.

The Connecticut Office of Tourism has launched a new "The State I'm In" marketing campaign - the first major winter campaign the agency has run in recent years.

The new$1M campaign is scheduled to run in both English and Spanish across Connecticut and neighboring states through March 2022, using media including:

• TV spots during local coverage of the Super Bowl and other high-profile live events
• Billboards featuring user-generated content
• Social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok
• New content on CTVisit.com
• Paid search and content
• PR
• Email

The campaign is intended to refresh Connecticut's branding and reach diverse audiences.

To participate in the campaign on social media, use the hashtag #StateImInCT .

Noelle Stevenson - shown here with Alan Alda at the 40th International Emmy Awards ceremony

The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development announced today the appointment of Noelle Stevenson - currently VP/Film, Music, Fashion and Creative Culture at the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB - as the new Director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism.

Ms. Stevenson previously held executive positions at the Greater Miami CVB and the Pelican Hotel in Miami Beach. She holds a BS degree in Business & Organization from Emerson College.

Connecticut DECD Commissioner David Lehman said:

“We are excited to have Noelle join the Office of Tourism. I am confident the tremendous wealth of experience and expertise she brings to Connecticut will help us transform and grow this important business sector."

Ms. Stevenson replaces prior Executive Director Randy Fiveash who retired in April.