A NEW TOURISM MODEL

Maine has undertaken many studies and hired many consultants in an effort to draw more tourists to Vacationland. Instead, the state could just learn from Namibia. The developing African country is focusing its efforts on attracting wealthy tourists. Maine, too, could benefit from this high-value, low-volume strategy.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that developing countries like Namibia, Botswana and the Seychelles were eschewing the traditional tourism model of being pioneered by the budget backpacking crowd and later building big, expensive hotels to attract well-heeled travelers. These countries are going directly for the travelers with a lot of money to spend. They are doing so for two reasons, according to the paper: to protect natural and cultural attractions from the crush of travelers and to hang on to the notion that they are exclusive, and therefore attractive, places to visit.

A $1,000-a-night resort opened last year in Namibia and the only accommodations on one island is the Seychelles, a string of islands off East Africa, have rooms costing $3,000 a night.

Maine doesn’t have to go to such extremes and is well beyond backpacker days, but devoting more resources to attract those with the most to spend makes sense. Opponents of tourism development proposals often complain that such facilities are beyond the reach of most Mainers. While it is unfortunate that most Mainers can’t afford a luxury vacation, that is not a good reason to hold back the state’s biggest industry in terms of revenue generation.

Maine’s travel industry is stagnating according to a recent report from a Canadian consulting firm. The state’s travel market remains at 2000 levels, according to Longwoods International, which annually evaluates how many people come to Maine, how long they stay, what they do and how much they spend. The same study shows that Maine lags behind the national average in attracting visitors with annual incomes over $75,000. It also found that affordability was low on travelers’ priority lists.

Overnight visitors now account for 20 percent of the state’s travel market, yet they are responsible for 44 percent of travel expenditures. Maine visitors now spend much more on shopping and food than on accommodations and recreational activities. Offering higher-end hotels with guided recreation for a fee would shift this balance. Coincidentally, this would return Maine to the turn-of-the-century model of well-heeled visitors spending long periods in the state at all-inclusive resorts.

Maybe that’s where Namibia got the idea.