The Maine Office of Tourism awarded $132,875 to 10 recipients in the Fall 2017 round of Special Event and Tourism Enterprise Marketing Grants. Award recipients are:             

Tourism Enterprise Grants           

• The Portland Bach Experience - $10,000                              
• Maine Huts & Trails - $10,000                             
• Moosehead Lake Region Chamber - $8,575                                
• Whoopie Pie Festival - $9,800                                
• Main Street Maine Trail - $9,500                                 
• Maine International Film Festival - $10,000                              
• Castine Bastille Day - $2,500                                
• Moose Lottery Festival - $10,000                              
• Maine Grains Conference & Kneading Festival - $2,500           

2018 Winter Travel Show Schedule – The Maine Office of Tourism will promote Maine at eight domestic and Canadian travel shows during winter 2018:

• Washington DC Travel Adventure Show                 January 20-12, 2018
• New York Times Travel Show                                 January 26-28, 2018
• Great American Outdoor Show                               February 3-11, 2018
• Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show                           February 23-25, 2018
• World Fishing & Outdoor Exposition                       March 2-5, 2018
• Philadelphia Travel Adventure Show                      March 10-11, 2018
• Ottawa Travel & Vacation Show                              March 17-18, 2018
• Montreal Outdoor Adventure Show                         April 7-8, 2018

2018 Governor’s Conference on Tourism Awards – FINAL CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - The deadline to submit a nomination is January 8, 2018.  Please send us your nominations of outstanding people, businesses and organizations in our industry that are helping to advance the growth of tourism in Maine. The award winners will be recognized at the 2018 Governor’s Conference on Tourism to be held April 3-4^th in Portland. Click here to submit your nomination online or to download a copy of the nomination form and guidelines.

Maine Motorcoach Network– Deadline extended. For those interested in submitting a profile sheet for your business in the 2018 Profile Book, there is still time - MMN has extended the deadline to January 19, 2018.   

To re-use your 2017 profile sheet or to submit a new one please CLICK HERE. Invoices will be e-mailed to you with payment instructions. NEW! Reserve the inside back cover for added visibility. Click here for details.

Initiatives that complement the Profile Book include: 

• Ontario Motorcoach Association - 2018 Marketplace 
• National Tour Association - Travel Exchange
• American Bus Association - 2018 Marketplace 
• 2018 MMN Sales Mission

WelcomeME, a free online customer service training program designed to assist tourism employers, employees, and students, has a new landing page and is now available at www.mainetourismtraining.com.

The MOT’s first snow report of the season was distributed on December 27.The weekly Snow Reports, produced in partnership with the Ski Maine Association and the Maine Snowmobile Association, will provide weekly updates during the winter months on snow conditions in the mountains and on the trails, with a calendar of winter events.

Recent results from the Maine Office of Tourism PR program include Maine destinations featured in three Huffington Post stories: the Cliff House featured in a roundup of the Top 20 new and renewed hotels in the USA; five Maine museums featured in an review of arts destinations in the Northeast USA; and inclusion of Migis Lodge and Monhegan House in a story on upscale hideaways on the Eastern seaboard.

International coverage included a 45-minute documentary on Maine which aired this month for the first time on Mare TV (Germany). It was commissioned by German public broadcasting TV and will be aired several times throughout the next 2-3 years. Additionally, an article on skiing in New England that mentions Bethel area resorts was picked up by the German newswire DPA and has been picked up by 114 news outlets.

Learn more about how you can participate in MOT’s PR Partners Program, connecting Maine’s hospitality businesses and wealth of travel experiences to qualified media and tourism decision-makers who have influence on the traveling public.