Maine’s travel industry is stagnating, according to a recent evaluation. Fortunately, the same study provides valuable insight into what can be done to boost the state’s largest industry. If Vacationland is to live up to its name, those insights should be turned into policies and actions.

Maine’s travel market remains at 2000 levels, says Longwoods International, a Canadian travel consulting firm that annually evaluates how many people come to Maine, how long they stay, what they do and what they spend. For the second year in a row, the number of day trips remained the same and overnight trips were down 1 percent. Spending by travelers also rose 1 percent to $6.2 billion.

While these numbers are naturally of interest to tourism officials, some of the more important data is in the dozens of charts in the 177-page report. When Maine is compared with the rest of the country, it gets higher than average marks for being family-oriented, worry free and for its sports and recreation opportunities. It scores below average in entertainment and luxury. The good news is that entertainment didn’t rank high in travelers’ lists of priorities.

Maine’s biggest strengths were its outdoor activities. Maine far surpassed the national norm in skiing and snowboarding, river rafting, canoeing and kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing and scenery. Local cuisine, safety, friendly people and summer average were also above the national average. Maine was far below average in exciting nightlife and shows, live music and conference and meeting facilities. It also lacks first-class hotels and sophisticated restaurants, according to the study.

All the data means that Maine is a nice place to go but it needs more amenities. The Maine woods should not be turned into Orlando, and the coast should not look like Fort Lauderdale. But more nice places to eat and stay – especially if they helped visitors participate in rafting, biking, hiking or other outdoor activities – would entice more people to come here and to stay longer, leaving more money behind.

Now, visitors to Maine spend more money shopping and eating than they do on overnight accommodations. They are also more prone to say in rental cottages and with family than in a hotel. There is nothing wrong with either, but if Maine wants to boost tourism spending, it must give visitors more to spend money on. Nice hotels and restaurants would help.