Campaign hoists tourism dollars> Residents of Middle Atlantic states deposit millions in Maine’s economy

Attracted by Maine’s rugged coastline, lobsters, and the potential for relaxation and adventure, residents of the Middle Atlantic states surged into Maine this summer, depositing millions of dollars into Maine communities and state tax coffers.

Facing continued declines in Canadian visitors — the state’s traditional bread-and-butter tourists — Maine tourism officials this spring targeted the mid-Atlantic region, from where tourists would have to travel farther and potentially stay longer.

Hilary N. Sinclair, director of tourism for the state, said Thursday that the effort this spring surpassed expectations. Through an Indiana research company, the Office of Tourism was able to track the effectiveness of the three-month advertising campaign aimed at tourists from New York to Washington, D.C.

The study showed that of the 68,800 households that responded to the ads by a toll-free number, slightly more than half took vacations in Maine, spending $37 million in the state and raising more than $2.4 million in state sales taxes. Sinclair said she was told to expect a fair return the first year, about 35 percent.

The study by Strategic Marketing & Research Inc. in Indianapolis also revealed that most of these visitors initially hadn’t planned to come to Maine. About 86 percent of those responding said it was the advertising that prompted them to make the trip.

Glossy and colorful, the ads featured pictures associated with Maine including lobsters, blueberries, boats and the coast, as well as L.L. Bean. They appeared between March and May in such publications as Yankee, National Geographic, Time, and The New York Times at a cost of $326,898.

Based on what was spent in advertising and the number of tourist dollars attracted, the tax revenue return was $7.41 for every dollar spent on the campaign. The amount was well above the one-for-one return Sinclair said the Office of Tourism promised the Legislature.

The effectiveness of the ads were tracked by toll-free numbers that readers could call. Different numbers appeared in publications enabling the tourism office to pull ads that weren’t doing well. The full-page ad in Time, for example cost $26,000 but resulted in only about 40 percent of the respondents’ actually coming to Maine. A similar ad in Yankee had a return rate of two-thirds.

Other information uncovered by the study may be used in future discussions or efforts to promote the state, according to Sinclair and John Johnson, director of tourism information who spoke to representatives of the Bangor Daily News editorial staff.

It found, for example, that the Middle Atlantic travelers weren’t the couples laden with children that one might expect to visit Maine beaches and scenic areas. On average, the new Maine tourists tended to be older, about 50, and visiting in small groups. The average visiting family was three people.

They were also fairly affluent. Their average annual income was slightly below $70,000 and they tended to spend about $66 per day during their stay in Maine, which averaged six days.

While here, a large majority stayed in hotels and motels, with about a quarter staying in inns and at bed-and-breakfast homes. The tourists tended to steer toward the coast, although less than half said they had been involved in fishing, boating or other water activities during their stay. Sightseeing was the No. 1 activity, followed closely by shopping.

With Canadian tourism expected to continue to drop for at least the next several years — 17 percent annually, by some estimates — Sinclair and Johnson said reaching out to the Middle Atlantic region is important to maintaining tourism revenues.

Yet, therein lies a problem, according to Sinclair. Despite the success of the program this year, she said, the tourism office is required to show a minimum 5 percent growth monthly this fiscal year, or lose funds for those months that don’t reach the required level. Creating difficulties is the Canadian tourist drought which masks the growth experienced because of the new campaign.

This has left the office with about $330,000 to advertise programs for next spring, with the potential for those funds to be cut further.

“I would like to see the Legislature accept the fact that this program shows a lot of new money coming in,” she said, adding, that Maine tourism shouldn’t be tied to what is happening in Canada.