Maine
 
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HIGHLIGHTS

With Memorial Day and the summer travel season just around the corner, national research is reporting record optimism for domestic leisure travel within the US. This should be good news for the Maine tourism industry, which has seen an annual average increase in visitation of approximately 6% over the past five years.

According to an April 2017 report by Destination Analysts on leisure travel, approximately 40% of Americans in Maine’s key travel markets (New England and the Mid-Atlantic) say they expect to travel more for leisure in the next year over 2016.

And the U.S. Travel Barometer for March 2017 showed that 76.3% of lodging searches by U.S. residents were to locations within the United States. 

Here's to a great season!

 
RESEARCH

The full 2016 Visitor Tracking Research Annual Report for Maine is now available online at VisitMaine.com.  

Some key takeaways:

-          Maine experienced strong year-over-year growth in tourism-related visitation estimates again in 2016, continuing the upward trend of the past five years.

-         Families traveling with children continue to make up a large and desirable contingent of Maine visitors.

-         The majority of travel research and planning takes place on-line, with the use of social media as a resource for travel planning continuing to grow.

-         The proportion of visitors researching activities and attractions after arriving in Maine increased once again in 2016, with the majority of these using a mobile device. This provides an opportunity to provide real-time, on-site information to visitors that could help spread visitation to lesser known areas of the state.

 
PUBLIC RELATIONS

Recent features about Maine published as a direct result of MOT's PR program include a series of articles on the Ott’s World blog featuring Maine Wilderness Cabins, Road Trips, the Maine Blueberry Festival, and Nonesuch Oyster Farm; OffMetro articles on the Wells Reserve summer program and Portland as a 24-Hour Gourmet Getaway; a Family Vacation story on TakingtheKids.com; a feature on splurge-worthy Maine Mother’s Day Destinations in the Boston Globe; a Coastal Maine RV Camping Adventure in Game & Fish magazine; inclusion of Rockland as one of 20 Best Small Towns in Smithsonian Magazine, and additional accolades for Maine destinations in jetsetter.com, the Boston Globe, and the Australian publication Seven West Travel Club.

 
MAINE FILM OFFICE

Maine Cabin Masters will be filming in June in the Damariscotta area, and is looking for fans to be included in the shoot for an episode featuring a local fish ladder and oyster farm.  Want to be in on the reveal?

 
INDUSTRY NEWS

The Live & Work in Maine website has been redesigned to include a job board to help Maine employers attract, retain and grow talent in Maine. Live & Work in Maine is proactively promoting the job board and jobs posted on it to key audiences that are more likely to consider a career in Maine: FMI or to post a job, click HERE.

Chimani, Inc., the Maine-based developer of free travel apps for national parks, has launched a new savings club for National Parks travelers called Chimani Perks. The membership program will collaborate with businesses to offer discounts on lodging, dining, tours, activities, retail shops, and gear in National Parks communities around Acadia, Arches, Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Olympic, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Zion.

 
 
Upcoming
DMAI ANNUAL CONVENTION

The Destination Marketing and Management Forum is a premier event for destination marketing and management professionals, offering training and professional development for destination marketing associations, CVB’s and tourism boards.

When: July 11-14

Where: Montreal, Canada

Registration and Agenda

U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION ESTO

The U.S. Travel Association’s Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) is the only national forum where tourism destination professionals at the state, regional and local level get critical tools, tips and information to help them better market and grow their destinations.

When: August 26-29

Where: Minneapolis, MN

Registration and Agenda

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