(1) A large and increasing number of tourists has been coming to Vermont, and as a result the tourist industry is one of the largest sources of income for Vermonters, with an increasing number of persons directly or indirectly dependent upon the tourist industry for their livelihood.

(2) Very few convenient facilities and coordinated means exist in the State to provide information on available public accommodations, commercial services for the traveling public and other lawful businesses, and points of scenic, historic, cultural, educational, and religious interest. Provision of those facilities can be a major factor in encouraging the development of the tourist industry in Vermont.

(3) Scenic resources of great value are distributed throughout the State, and have contributed greatly to its economic development, by attracting tourists, permanent and part-time residents, and new industries and cultural facilities.

(4) The scattering of outdoor advertising throughout the State is detrimental to the preservation of those scenic resources, and so to the economic base of the State, and is also not an effective method of providing information to tourists about available facilities.

(5) The proliferation of outdoor advertising is hazardous to highway users. (Added 1967, No. 333 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 1993, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.)