The “Find Your Vibe” campaign from the Connecticut Office of Tourism, which was launched in June and extended through the autumn season, has been extended again, to lure visitors to the state during the winter months.

The campaign includes videos seen on YouTube, JetBlue flights, trains, gyms, taxis and salons; displays in New York’s Grand Central Station and Moynihan Train Hall; and on Link NYC screens. It also includes a redesign of ctvisit.com, the state tourism website, to reflect the videos’ aesthetic.

Gov. Ned Lamont, in announcing the extension on Tuesday, cited that from June to September, the campaign helped increase the state’s tourism numbers year-over-year. Increases include 9.2% in number of rooms sold, 8% in short-term rentals such as AirBnBs and 11% in total lodging revenue, Lamont reported.

Paul Mayer, president of Connecticut Tourism Coalition, pointed to views of the campaign as an industry driver. “There’s been a 94% increase in out-of-state visitors to ctvisit.com and a 65% increase in leads to Connecticut businesses. We all benefit from this campaign,” Mayer said.

Few images in the $4.7 million campaign are event-specific, but emphasize attractions — casinos, theaters, concert venues, shops, restaurants, lodging, outdoor activities, etc., in a mix of urban and rural — open throughout the season. (youtube.com/@ConnecticutTourism )

Noelle Stevenson, who has been director of Connecticut Office of Tourism for a year, moving here from Florida, spearheaded “Find Your Vibe.” She said she wanted to break through a stereotype of Connecticut as “the drive-by state.”

“I thought to myself how mistaken that is. The perception needed to change really quick. There are a ton of reasons to have Connecticut be the drive-to state rather than the drive-by state,” she said.

Stevenson said the success of the campaign was aided by the lingering pandemic yearning to escape their daily routines.

“People are wanting to get out regardless of budgets. They just want to be out. For too long everybody was sort of confined,” she said. She added that the pandemic contributed to the campaign’s imagery depicting athletic and outdoor activities. “People are focusing on their well-being,” she said.

The videos, made by Avon-based marketing agency Adams & Knight, emphasize racial diversity and gender diversity.

“The LGBTQ+ community is part of our fiber, not something that we just talk about in June [Pride Month], but celebrate in Connecticut all year around,” Stevenson said. “It’s important to showcase all of what we offer here and support our communities and welcome our visitors.”

The ‘Find Your Vibe’ slogan for Connecticut’s tourism initiative follows the vague ‘Say Yes to CT’ the unpopular “Connecticut: Still Revolutionary” and “Your Staycation Destination.” Twice Connecticut chose slogans themed around being “Full of Surprises” and in 2007 chose the motto “Real Fun is Closer Than You Think.”