Maine tourism shows growth Small revenue increase expected despite effects of terrorist attacks

AUGUSTA – Even though Maine’s $8.8 billion tourism industry took a plunge after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the state still is expected to make a small gain the year over 2000.

As of September, the taxable sales in the lodging and restaurant sectors were about 3 percent to 4 percent ahead of the previous year, according to Nat Bowditch, assistant director of the Maine Office of Tourism. Although the true economic impact of tourism will not be known until June, when the state figures are compiled, Bowditch predicted that the overall growth in tourism for the year will not be as great as in recent years.

“We’re not growing as fast as we did the year before,” Bowditch said Monday.

The terrorist attacks in Washington and New York and the resulting change in the economy did affect the state’s tourism. But the state already had a head start on tourism before the attacks. Nearly 80 percent of the state’s travel business is done during the summer months, according to Bowditch. “While fall is important to us, as is early winter, summer is still carrying the ball” for the state’s tourism economy, he said.

“It came out OK,” Bowditch said of last year’s tourism, the state’s second-largest industry after forest products.

While tourism improved statewide as a whole, Bowditch said that state officials heard reports that some urban centers such as Portland did not fare as well in tourism growth because there were fewer conventions held. On the other hand, the recreational and leisure-type destinations in the state reportedly demonstrated growth, he said.

A greater loss in lodging occurred last year than in other tourism-related sectors, according to Bowditch. But again, some pockets of the state did better than others, providing the state a slight increase, he said.

One of those pockets was in Greenville. Paul Mlodzianoski, owner of the Chalet Moosehead Motel and the Indian Hill Motel in Greenville, said his businesses did “fairly” well last year. He said his business had a “fairly significant” drop for about 10 days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but then business resumed as usual. In addition to a good summer, Mlodzianoski said the months of October and November were good revenue producers. As is typical, December proved to be a slow month for tourism, he noted.

“We’re lucky in the sense we’re a rubber-tire destination,” Bowditch said. Explaining, he said Maine is very close to some major metropolitan areas and is within easy traveling distance by vehicle. “We’re perceived as an outdoor destination,” he said.

Canadian visitors also are returning to Maine even though the currency exchange rate dipped a few years ago. These are people who have visited Maine before and want to come again, he said. Even with the higher cost, the value of the product is what they are looking for, Bowditch said.

Hoping to entice other visitors to the state after the Sept. 11 attacks, Bowditch said the state offered some deals on vacation packages on its Web site, www.visitmaine.com. Because the public responded so well to these offerings, he said, efforts will continue along this line in the future. These offerings focus more on family vacations and unique and cultural experiences.

“I think we’re feeling like we’re going in the right direction for a marketing message,” Bowditch said of his office. And that message will be broadcast more loudly this year, when the state’s tourism budget is anticipated to increase from its current level of $4.6 million to about $6.9 million in July, he said.

Bowditch said the extra funds also will allow the state to increase its television campaigns targeting specific U.S. and international markets.