VisitMaine’s new tourism “sizzle” video is designed as a teaser to give potential visitors a taste of Maine’s exceptional travel experiences and restorative beauty. Industry members are invited to share the video in your own outreach, or at conferences, etc., where you are presenting about Maine.
For those of us in Maine’s tourism industry, it’s also a great reminder of why we do what we love. The Maine Thing is You. Enjoy. 

WATCH THE VIDEO 

Touring - An engaging new website for the Katahdin Woods & Waters Scenic Byway has been launched. The route is one of ten state-designated Maine Scenic Byways. Maine also boasts three National Scenic Byways and one All-American Road.

Foliage Reports – Weekly Foliage reports are published on Maine’s official Fall Foliage Website during 6 weeks of the popular Fall visitor season to advise on fall harvest events and areas of peak foliage color in Maine. Reporting on fall foliage in Maine was created by Forestry Commissioner Austin Wilkins in 1959 when he had forest rangers report the amount of color change and leaf drop over a 6 week period beginning in mid-September and ending in mid-October. The first 2016 report was posted on September 14th; the final report will be October 19th.
Maine has seen strong growth in Fall visitation (September – November) in recent years. Fall estimated visitation increased by 12.8% to 9,782,253 visitors in 2015 over 2014; in 2014, visitation had increased by 7% over 2013.

Summer Tourism Sales - Based on the Maine Revenue Service’s most recent numbers, May – August restaurant sales are up 4.80% and lodging sales are up 7.85% over the same period in 2015, setting a new record for Maine tourism during Summer 2016.

Wellness Tourism - The newest trend poised to become a global development is that of the emerging “wellness destination,” according to a recent Travel Market report. Using nature as a playground for wellness, destinations are developing initiatives to promote themselves to a growing market of wellness-minded travelers with year-round water and land-based activities, and high-end retreats. The wellness travel sector will exceed $600 billion in 2017, according to a forecast by the Global Wellness Institute.

Adventure Travel (Is Hot Right Now) – 95 percent of Virtuoso travel advisors reported seeing an increase in sales of active, adventure and specialty travel in the last year, according to new survey findings from the luxury travel network cited by Travel Pulse . Check out the list of top activities favored by active and specialty travelers, and see if it includes something you have to offer.

PR Partners - Our PR and social media team has worked on several itineraries for media and influencers for this fall. If you are interested in taking part by hosting media and/or influencers, please go to https://visitmaine.com/pr-partners/ to learn more and fill out the form. 

September Results - Direct results included two dozen placements, with stories on Portland Food & Drink and Car Free Travel in USA Today, Coastal Maine and Moosehead Lake foliage drives in Travel & Leisure, and a Rangeley Lakes feature in Boston.com.

"Big E" Results - The Maine Office of Tourism managed a Tourism booth in the Maine building at the “Big E” in Springfield, MA, during September. 2016 was the centennial year of the 17-day long event, which had over 1.4 million attendees. MOT and the Maine Tourism Association partnered to staff the booth and promote Maine destinations, distributing close to 6,000 copies of "Maine Invites You" in addition to dozens of other brochures covering all regions and many areas of interest across the state.

Maine Motorcoach Network 2016 FAM Tour – 24 group tour operators came to Maine from all over the US and Canada for six days during late August to explore new itineraries and opportunities in Maine for the group tour industry. Guests enjoyed a variety of activities from lobster bakes and oyster tours to Gem Sluicing and Chondola rides at Sunday River Resort.  Nearly 20 cities and towns were visited from Portland to Bar Harbor, Bangor, Skowhegan, Rangeley and in between.  Many thanks to all those who hosted the group and helped showcase Maine destinations for this important tourism sector. As expressed by one guest, “It’s easier to sell something when you’re passionate for it.  You all were and we’ll do the same for the places and activities we adored.”  

See images from the August FAM tour on Facebook 
To learn more about the Maine Motorcoach Network and how you can get involved contact Hannah.Collins@Maine.gov

Maine Film News - Two TV Episodes for HGTV recently filmed in Maine, American Pickers TV show is coming to Maine, and a documentary produced in Maine, “9/11 Inside The Pentagon”, aired on PBS.

Film Sites Wanted  - It’s been a busy year for filming in Maine, and requests for filming locations are still coming in.  If you’d like to promote your area as a filming location, now is the time to start reaching out to filmmakers. Email the director of the Maine Film Office at film@maine.gov to schedule a tour of your communities.