SELLING MAINE

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More highway signs and informational brochures and better training for tourism industry employees are helpful ideas, but they are not going to draw more tourists to Maine. Better accommodations and easily-accessible recreation opportunities will. The state has spent years studying and talking about nature-based tourism.
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More highway signs and informational brochures and better training for tourism industry employees are helpful ideas, but they are not going to draw more tourists to Maine. Better accommodations and easily-accessible recreation opportunities will.

The state has spent years studying and talking about nature-based tourism. The result of a year-long $80,000 contract is a report from a Texas-based consultant that focuses on enhancing and selling the “Maine Woods experience.” The company, Fermata, offered a long list of recommendations. Many of them focused on themed, scenic drives, visitor centers and guide books. Less attention was devoted to more important issues such as the availability of high-quality lodging and better promotion of the Maine guides network.

One especially useful part of the Fermata work was to inventory available tourism offerings in three areas of the state: the Maine Highlands around Moosehead Lake, the Western Mountains Region and Down East. The points of interest, including state parks, trails and historic and cultural sites, are even ranked according to their expected level of interest.

This can be coupled with the findings of another consultant, Longwoods International. In a report issued last month, the Canadian company found that Maine surpassed the national average for visitors rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, fishing and enjoying scenery. Maine was found lacking when it came to first-class hotels and sophisticated restaurants.

This means that Maine is a nice place to visit, but it needs more amenities. If tourism officials want to increase tourism spending, they need to give visitors something to spend their money on. Increasingly, tourists – especially the baby boomer generation which finds itself with time and money on its hands – want to do something outdoors and then retreat to a well-appointed lodge or hotel. They don’t want to backpack for a week, but a guided hike to a scenic vista or a guided kayak trip to an island would be very appealing to these travelers. When they’re done with the outdoors for the day, they don’t want to head back to a remote cabin to cook steaks on an open fire. They want a gourmet meal and a comfortable bed.

Maine has these kinds of accommodations, but not enough of them, especially away from the coast. A bill to provide tax incentives or other financing to improve existing and construct new high-end lodging is slated to be reintroduced to the Legislature in January. Such financial help should encourage the development of much needed tourist infrastructure.

A sign telling tourists where to go might help. But there had better be something for them when they get there.


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