A recently released report on the state of Canada’s tourism industry pulled no punches: “Canada’s Tourism Sector on the Brink of Crisis,” read the headline of the news release summarizing the report. The number of U.S. visitors to Canada has steadily declined over the past five or six years, reaching the lowest level since 1972 when records began being kept. Many of the obstacles Canada faces are unique to that nation, but Maine would do well to heed some of the report’s warnings, as it looks to protect and grow its largest industry.

The report, commissioned by the Ottawa-based Tourism Industry Association of Canada, acknowledges serious challenges to the tourism industry which are out of the control of government and industry. Those include: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which choked border crossings; fears of a SARS pandemic, which disrupted global travel; the increase value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar, which meant the price of vacationing in Canada increased by 30 percent in two years; and record-high gasoline prices.

What government and industry can work to improve, the TIAC report concludes, is access to Canada and “product animation,” which is business jargon for polishing the apples in the store window. The report also warns that governments – both national and provincial – have neglected tourism, and tended to regard it as a source of taxation funds, “burdening businesses with structural costs and compliance measures which impede its price competitiveness.”

Access to Maine for its tourism market has historically come by way of Interstate 95, with some small amount coming through air travel. The price of fuel will continue to effect both those conduits, and state tourism officials must be aggressive in developing other ways to get here, such as train and boat. The rise of coastal cruises – which may become more competitive by price as gas costs increase – is a new niche which must be encouraged and expanded.

And the notion of government taking tourism for granted noted in Canada resonates in Maine as well. Keeping the Loop Road in Acadia National Park free of potholes, keeping our lighthouses freshly painted and being sure the exits for L.L. Bean are clearly marked are not enough. Maine must undergo a continual process of re-evaluating what it offers visitors, seeing it through their eyes, and improving it. That process may dictate promoting some regions of the state over others, if no potential for growth is seen in some areas.

It may also mean discouraging the encroachment of water parks and miniature golf around areas in which tourists seek solitude and connections with the natural world. The Canadian industry group projects a rise in the cultural and heritage tourism niche; Maine is well-positioned to land its share of those visitors.

Above all, those charged with supporting Maine’s tourism industry must not become complacent. They must be willing to take bold action if the state ever finds its tourism industry on the brink of crisis.