For Maine’s future in tourism, look to town planners

AUGUSTA – The future of tourism, arguably Maine’s largest industry, is as much in the hands of people who serve on local planning boards as those who own motels and campgrounds.

Speaking Wednesday at the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Augusta Civic Center, Jonathan Tourtellot, director of sustainable tourism for the National Geographic Society, urged those who care about the industry in Maine to preserve the state’s character.

“The residents are ultimately the stewards of what people come to see,” he said.

Tourtellot described three categories of tourists:

. Those who seek entertainment in the broadest sense, who enjoy outlet stores, theme parks and casinos; these attractions can be built anywhere, and often are located in deserts.

. Those who seek the kind of recreation that can be found at beaches, water slides and ski resorts; this tourism is dependent on lakes, oceanfront and mountains.

. Those who enjoy touring a region by taking scenic drives, bicycling, kayaking, hiking and visiting museums and parks.

Catering to the last category of tourist is a good bet for Maine, he said, and also represents what is being called geo-tourism, or sustainable tourism.

Rather than seek to stop the clock, geo-tourism sustains or enhances the geographical character of the place being visited, Tourtellot explained. It values and highlights the region’s environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents, he said.

Tourtellot began his presentation by showing two short videos.

One showed magnificent natural scenes, with the narrator suggesting he had just completed a cross-country trip and was astounded by the beauty to be found, and wondering what future generations would make of it. The second, using the same voice-over, showed highway congestion, billboards and strip malls, also asking what future generations will make of it all.

The point, Tourtellot said, is that tourists don’t visit places that look like everywhere else.

Geo-tourism doesn’t necessarily mean promoting a region’s pristine natural areas, he said.

Tourtellot cited as an example of tourism development that works: the Monterrey Aquarium in California, which was built in an old cannery and highlights marine flora and fauna from that part of the coast. A second example is Maine’s Windjammer fleet, which makes use of historic vessels, taps into the state’s heritage and features encounters with the natural beauty of its bays and harbors.

This kind of tourism “literally changes the face of the earth,” Tourtellot said.

Visitors appreciate the local flavor of a region, savoring its music, cuisine and dance, as well as its people. The state can tailor its marketing to reach the kind of people who respond to this kind of visit, and at the same time retain what is special about a place like Maine, he said.

Speaking after Tourtellot were Maine people who served as examples of residents who have worked to sustain the state’s character, while at the same time benefiting from tourism.

. Sam Hayward, owner of the Fore Street Restaurant in Portland, described his commitment to buying Maine-grown foods to achieve “a taste of place.” He said a recent accounting of his purchases revealed that 63 percent of the produce was grown in Maine.

. Russ Libby, director of the Common Ground Country Fair, described how the fair has grown over its 27 years, drawing 51,000 visitors over three days, even as county fairs that began in the 19th century are fading away.

“It’s become a major cultural draw in and of itself,” he said, with little marketing effort.

. Theresa Hoffman, director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, said that since her group was formed the number of Indian artisans has nearly doubled, and the organization’s annual festival in Bar Harbor draws 3,000.

. Judy Dimock, owner of North Star Orchards in Madison, said her farm’s classic white frame buildings and barns “are as important as lighthouses,” to the state’s image, “just because of the way we look.”