Tourism sees impact of gas prices, exchange rate

A strong Canadian dollar is bringing tourists into Maine from the north, but high gas prices may be hampering visitation from southern New England and the mid-Atlantic states.

Midway through the summer season some trends have emerged, said those in the hospitality business.

Lillian Weingart, who has owned and operated the Moosehead Family Campground with her husband, Bob, since 1990, said this summer has been good.

“I think we’re doing a little better [than last year],” she said Tuesday. “We’re seeing a lot of Mainers.”

In particular, campers from Bangor, Newport, Hampden and other towns north of Augusta are vacationing at the property, just south of Moosehead Lake on Route 15. Many have told Weingart they are not going to travel as far from home because of high gas prices, and are instead staying longer at the campground.

With the Canadian dollar at 87.5 cents to the U.S. dollar – nearly the highest it has been in the last 15 years, up from 62 cents to the U.S. dollar in late 2001 – many in the lodging business say they are seeing more Canadians traveling to or through Maine.

“We’ve only had four Canadians this year,” Weingart said, but that compares to none for the last two summers. The visitors have hailed from Quebec province.

At the same time, out-of-state visitation has dropped off.

“We’re still seeing people from New Hampshire,” she said, but other than regular visitors, other license plates are not in evidence around the campground. And the regulars tell the Weingarts they are forgoing other vacations in favor of a Maine visit.

Manny Witt, director of the Maine Tourism Bureau in Montreal, said 20 percent more Canadians are traveling to New Hampshire this summer. The top three New England destinations are Hampton Beach, N.H., Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and Cape Cod, Mass.

Gas prices in the U.S., even at $3 a gallon or more, are a bargain for Canadians who pay the equivalent of $4.46 per gallon, Witt said.

Dick Cough, manager and part-owner of the Atlantic Oakes motel in Bar Harbor, expected to see more Canadian guests, but the absence of The Cat ferry on weekends is dampening those hopes. The ferry, which runs from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, makes stops in Bar Harbor only during the week, and sails to Portland on weekends.

“We’re starting to notice [Canadians],” Cough said, but they have been slower than expected in making their appearance.

Gas prices have also affected visitation, he believes.

“I know it shouldn’t affect people,” Cough said, as he computes the additional cost of traveling to Bar Harbor from New York at about $25. But psychologically, the sticker shock at the pump may be dissuading people from a driving-oriented vacation.

“I’d send them the $25,” he said.

The Atlantic Oakes had a very good year last year, Cough said.

“We’re a little off from last year,” he said, though visitors were up at the Bayview, a more high-end hotel the family also owns in Bar Harbor.

Marcia Markwardt, owner of the Carriage House Inn in Searsport, said the early season was strong – business in May tripled over last May – but languished through June and early July.

“Things are picking up now,” she said.

Like many innkeepers, Markwardt has noticed that visitors are using the Internet to check weather forecasts and room availability before booking, with many reservations made on Tuesday for the coming Friday.

“Everything is impulse trips,” she said.

And Canadians are part of the mix.

“I am seeing quite a few people from Quebec,” Markwardt said.

Belfast Harbor Master Kathy Messier said boat owners traveling up the coast have had their pick of moorings this summer, with high gas prices apparently affecting coastal cruising vacations.

The Associated Press and Bangor Daily News reporter Walter Griffin contributed to this story.