Dann Lewis

Tourism spending rose in 2005, state reports

Overnight travelers spent $3.1 billion last year, ending a four-year slump.

“It means we’re not only riding the wave, but we’re being more successful than others.” Charles Colgan Associate director, Maine’s new Center for Tourism Research and Outreach
Maine’s tourism industry broke out of a four year slump in 2005 and increased the total number of overnight trips to the state by 9 percent and the number of overnight vacationers by 12 percent, figures being released today show. Taken together, overnight travelers made 9.7 million trips and spent 15 percent more last year than in 2004, leaving behind $3.1 billion spent on meals, lodging, purchases and services.

The state tourism office credited better marketing and promotion, good summer weather and rising gasoline prices that kept motorists closer to home for the exceptionally strong showing. “2005 was a very good year,” said Dann Lewis, the state’s tourism director. “It reversed a trend that had been soft for four years in the aftermath of 9-11.”

The data are part of an extensive report prepared annually for Maine’s tourism office by Longwoods International, a Canadian travel research firm. Maine’s tourism industry is the largest single contributor to Maine’s economy. Tourism generated $13.6 billion in sales and provided 176,600 jobs in 2004, according to data gathered by Longwoods and the tourism office.

Despit that, Maine and New England in general have struggled to attract more visitors over the past four years. Competition from other destinations, the legacy of the 2001 terrorist attacks and othe factors have been blamed for the slump.
Maine responded by hiring a New York City advertising agency that revamped the tourism marketing campaign and redesigned the state’s Web site. Both actions had come under fire by critics who questioned specific elements of these efforts, but the 2005 results suggest those changes are making a difference.
That’s one conclusion that can be drawn for the 12 percent jump in overnight trips that Longwoods International defines as “marketable.” These trips reflect discretionary vacation travel, not visits to friends and relatives. In the tourism industry, marketable trips are of special interest because they can be influenced by advertising and promotion.
“These are people who made a choice to come to Maine,” said Charles Colgan, associate director of Maine’s new Center for Tourism Research and Outreach at the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine. By comparison, overnight vacation trips grew nationally by only 2 percent, Colgan noted.
At the same time, Maine’s share of trips by Northeast residents grew by 14 percent. Massachusetts saw a 10 percent rise, and the other New England states had little or no growth. That’s also an important indicator. Maine competes with the other New England states for visitors, and the largest share of Maine tourists come from Massachusetts, New York and other Northeast states.

“It means we’re not only riding the wave,” Colgan said, “but we’re being more successful than the others.”

Dann Lewis and Charles Colgan agree that the strong performance in 2005 raises expectations for 2006. “I wouldn’t expect another 14 percent in market share,” Dann Lewis said, “but we’re hoping for a reasonable showing in 2006.”

from: Portland Press Herald - August 17, 2006 by Tux Turkel

Trackback URI | Comments RSS