|
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
THE NATIVE CONSERVATIVE: George Smith
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||
 |
||||
An April newspaper headline trumpeted, "Tourism official: Industry stagnating." Last week, more of the same with this headline, "Study: No growth in state tourism." Vacationland is losing the battle for vacationers. Given that 176,000 Mainers depend on tourism for work, the future looks bleak. Or does it? In April, Dan Lewis, the state's tourism director, reported that since 2000, "overall visitor expenditures are up, but the actual number of tourists visiting the state has remained relatively static." Alas, the new study reported that tourism spending rose just 1 percent since 2000, and day trips were flat while overnight trips actually declined for the second year in a row. Rudy Nardelli, account strategist for the Maine office of Warren Kremer Paino, the out-of-state agency responsible for advertising Maine, says the study's findings are no surprise and that the state doesn't need to change its image. Tourists who do find their way to Maine give us high marks for outdoor activities and our family-oriented, worry-free destinations. They didn't think much of our after-dark activities. Maybe they just don't like the Red Sox, our primary evening entertainment. Interestingly, most tourist dollars are spent on shopping and eating, with the rest going to recreation and transportation. Having known for years that the number one tourist attraction in Maine is LL Bean in Freeport, the study's findings certainly are not a surprise to me. Eating is high on my list too, along with fishing at this time of year. Hey, sounds like tourists are just like you and me! They like to play outdoors and eat and shop in a beautiful and safe environment. So why don't more of them come to Maine to enjoy all of this with us? Tom Curtis, Vice President of Longwoods International, the out-of-country firm hired by Maine to do the study, says that Maine has a good product but must get the word out to a broader audience, particularly first-time visitors. Nardelli and Curtis disagree on one important point. Nardelli sees little value in advertising Maine outside of the northeast. Curtis says we ought to do that. With limited dollars to spend, I think Nardelli is right. Most Maine tourists come from the Northeast, no more than a day's travel away. There's a much bigger market out there, from Germany to Japan to California. But Maine doesn't have the budget to advertise in those markets. I'd sooner spend the money in New York, Boston, Montreal and Quebec City. Those folks must be desperate to escape the city for an outdoor experience each summer. As it happens, I am recently returned from my own vacation, in Canada. Campobello Island, literally a stone's throw from Lubec in Downeast Maine, does tourism right. Our two-bedroom chalet at Island Chalet was clean and homey, perched on a cliff with a million dollar view of Cobscook Bay. A provincial park provided an array of deserted beaches, oceanside hikes, wildlife, and stunning views. OK, restaurants weren't fancy (in fact, we ate all our meals at our cabin), and nightlife revolves around watching the sun set, followed by card games, reading and the Red Sox. But the mackerel fishing was fabulous, and one evening, a whale cruised right up in front of our cabin. Now that's entertainment! We saw deer, moose, whales, dolphins, and lots of seals. Bald eagles nested on an island just off shore from our cabin and we listened to their calls all day long. Birds are plentiful and we collected colorful rocks from gorgeous beaches for a stone garden we're constructing at home. A game of golf at the local course provided a morning's entertainment, and a noontime feast of lobster -- at prices significantly below those at home -- was mouth-watering. We ate many pounds of crabmeat, provided by a lady over on Route 1, and picked wild blueberries. Ocean kayaking beckoned too. There was just too much to do! No one studies us, but I suspect we are typical of the tourists who keep Campobello hopping in the summer. I took note of license plates from all over the United States, but mostly from the Northeast. Some seemed to be buying property, as an investment and a summer retreat. Property prices were surprisingly high. There may not be a lot more Maine can do for our tourism economy without spending more money. We need increased and more effective advertising. We need more investment in the resources that bring people to Maine, from fisheries to scenery. We need more amenities because few people today like to rough it. Comfort is in, camping is out. And we need better systems of transportation. Sometimes you just can't get there from here -- at least not without a lot of pain. And pain isn't what you're looking for in a vacation. George Smith of Mount Vernon is the executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. He can be reached at george@samcef.org.
|
||||