February 11, 2025
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$4 a gallon? So what? State officials optimistic about ’08 tourism season

The economy may not exactly be robust, and fuel prices in the region may be about 25 percent higher than they were a year ago, but that isn’t dampening enthusiasm among Maine tourism officials for the 2008 summer season.

This weekend, when many Americans hit the road for Memorial Day, is generally considered the start of the annual summer vacation season. In Maine, seasonal business owners have been opening their shops and restaurants and otherwise getting ready for the first wave of out-of-state visitors, even as gasoline prices approach – and in some areas surpass – the $4-per-gallon mark.

“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Patricia Eltman of the Maine Office of Tourism said this week. “Anecdotal information we have right now are that advance bookings are even [with 2007] or slightly up.”

Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers’ Association, said this week that Maine is lucky to be close to dense population centers that are only hours away by car rather than being several days away. Fuel costs are more likely to have an effect on more remote tourist destinations such as those out West than on Maine’s tourist industry, which is relatively close to the 70 million people who live on the East Coast between Montreal and Washington, he said.

Gas prices and the sluggish economy may deter some people from taking impulse vacation weekends, according to Dugal, but those concerns may be viewed by some as all the more reason to go. People need a break from the worries of their daily routine, even when the economy is sluggish, he said.

Dugal echoed Eltman’s assessment about the number of bookings that lodging businesses seem to be getting so far this year, as did officials with Maine Tourism Association and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

“Advance reservations have been equal to or better than last year, and last year was good for us,” Dugal said. “Everyone is optimistic.”

But officials with the Maine Turnpike Authority have said that the recent spike of $4-per-gallon gas prices could have an effect on the number of tourists who drive to Maine this weekend.

Earlier this week, the authority released a prepared statement that indicated fuel prices in New England are 22 percent higher than they were this time last year. Charles Colgan of the Center for Tourism Research and Outreach at University of Southern Maine predicts that northbound traffic volumes on Friday and today will be 3.5 percent lower than they were for the same two days in 2007, according to the statement.

Still, tourism officials expected plenty of people to travel this holiday weekend. More than 650,000 vehicles are projected to be on the turnpike from Friday to Monday, which would be close to the total for the same period last year.

If gas prices keep increasing, however, they could take a toll over the summer. Most people will continue to travel, but they’ll make sacrifices to do so, said Matt McKenzie, spokesman for AAA Northern New England.

“When you look at the total cost of a vacation, even though we’re at the dreaded $4-a-gallon mark, it’s still only part of the overall cost,” McKenzie said. People might compensate by having shorter vacations, staying closer to home or simply spending less, he said.

Vaughn Stinson, executive director of the Maine Tourism Association, acknowledged Friday that fuel costs are a concern. But if the effect of higher fuel prices is that it costs an extra $20 to fill up a tank, most people are going to follow through with their vacation plans, he said. That bodes well for Maine, which is within a six-hour drive of 26 million people who live in eastern parts of Canada and the United States.

“I don’t think people will stop their vacations,” Stinson said.

Chris Fogg, executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, said Mount Desert Island still will likely be visited this summer by the millions of tourists it gets every year. He said this week that a recent survey of the Chamber’s membership indicated that advance bookings at local lodging businesses appear to be at least even with last year and could be as much as 10 percent higher. More than 90 Chamber members responded to the survey, he said, which is more than 10 percent of the group’s total membership.

“Last year was a strong year,” Fogg said. “We’re really optimistic. We’re not seeing any repercussions with gasoline prices on the economy.”

Weather, Fogg said, is a strong factor in whether tourists come to MDI. People tend to stay home on rainy weekends and to get away for at least a few days when the sun is out and temperatures are warm, he said.

Many seasonal businesses already have opened on Mount Desert Island, where Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are located. Fogg said he has heard that pleasant weather is expected for Memorial Day.

“With nice weather, we should have a good weekend,” he said.

Jen Olsen, business coordinator for the Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce, said businesses in the Millinocket region are hopeful for a decent season, despite the nationwide economic concerns. She said Friday she has received several information requests from potential visitors from Pennsylvania and some from as far away as North Dakota and Utah.

“We’re probably going to see a lot more people from New England,” Olsen said. “I think people may take shorter trips instead of two-week vacations.”

According to Dugal, economic factors that could cause American tourists to take shorter vacations could have the opposite effect on foreign tourists. With the American dollar being down compared with other currencies, the economic climate is right for more Canadian and European tourists to come to Maine.

Gas prices, he said, are not likely to deter tourists from coming to Maine from across the border or from overseas.

“They’re going to come, no matter what,” he said.

Like Fogg, Dugal and Stinson each said weather is a big factor in Maine’s tourist industry.

Tourism businesses did well last year in part because the state had good weather for most of the summer and well into the fall.

“Good weather is critical,” Dugal said. “If your pocketbook is light and it’s raining, you’re not coming.

“God only knows what’s going to happen,” he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

btrotter@bangordailynews.net

460-6318


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