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Maine Tourism Weathering the Economic Chill

February 24, 2009 - NEWRY — Friday was a beautiful, sunny day with fresh snow at Sunday River, and Matt Dumars was racking up his 36th day of skiing for the season.

"I worked pretty hard this summer so that I could go skiing my senior year," said Dumars, a student at Thomas College in Waterville, before taking a run at Barker Mountain.

Winter sports enthusiasts such as Dumars are helping make this a successful winter recreation season so far, despite the tough economy. Lots of snowy weather and a desire to take vacations closer to home have helped many businesses that rely on recreation dollars.

Midseason visitor numbers aren't available, but last week, the Maine State Planning Office released annual revenue figures for the lodging industry in 2008, showing it was up five-eighths of a percent from the previous year.

"Flat is the new up in tourism. I'm ecstatic about that," said Pat Eltman, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. "We're doing good."

The spectrum of winter tourism and recreation industries – cross-country skiing, ice fishing and snowmobiling among them – are reporting a strong season, she said.

"The snow has really helped, and we did a big 'stay-cation' campaign and I think that's working, too," Eltman said.

In 2007-08, Maine resorts got a record-breaking 1.42 million skier visits, and most resorts say they are on track to equal or exceed last year's totals, said Greg Sweetser, executive director of the Ski Maine Association.

"The ski and winter-sports industry is certainly a sweet spot in the economy," Sweetser said. "It's certainly going to be tough to beat 1.42 million visitors, but the encouraging thing is that we are not going to be far off from that mark."

Even so, there are signs of cost-cutting.

More skiers seem to be renting equipment instead of buying, making last-minute bookings to take advantage of special discount packages, or eating out a little less often.

"The economy is certainly front and center, and everyone is skiing a little more regionally than they have in the past," Sweetser said. "Since we draw all along the I-95 corridor down to Boston, that's a bit of a bonus for us."

Clive Higgins of Marblehead, Mass., said his family takes a ski trip every year. In addition to the great conditions, they were happy with some of the discounts at Sunday River.

"We even bought next year's ski jackets because they were on sale," Higgins said.

Lagging reservations prompted Sugarloaf to adjust lodging prices, which perked up bookings, according to communications manager Ethan Austin. A lot of visitors don't book until three or four days in advance, he said.

"That speaks to people searching for the best deals," Austin said. "It's been a bit worrisome, then every time it winds up being OK. People are just being more conscientious about what they are spending."

At Sunday River, visitor numbers are on pace with last year's, according to communications director Darcy Liberty. Since last year, the resort has added night skiing hours, new dinner hours at a mid-mountain lodge and a $7.5 million "chondola" lift. The chondola runs both six-person chairs and eight-person gondola cars on one high-speed lift.

"That's caused a lot of excitement," Liberty said.

MORE SLEDS ON THE SNOW

The snowmobiling industry also is enjoying a strong season. After a record-breaking year in 2007-08 – with 102,000 registrations – this year's total is already ahead of last year at this time at 55,000, up from 47,000.

"It's been really good statewide," Maine Snowmobile Association Executive Director Bob Meyers said. "Two years ago, we didn't even have 75,000 registrations for the season."

Non-resident registrations are up in particular, he said.

"People appear to be riding closer to home," Meyers said. "And we're not seeing the reservations so much. It's more like they're waiting to the last minute when they have a little jingle in their pocket and decide to come out."

Lisa Freta, who co-owns Sun Valley Sports in Bethel, said her business has sold more than $18,000 in non-resident snowmobiler registrations this season. Overall, business is off about 10 percent from last year at the store, but last year was their best ever, so it's still pretty good, she said.

"I think people, instead of going out West, are coming out here," Freta said.

The weather this year has played a major role in tourism, with cold temperatures keeping a solid snowpack on snowmobiling trails and ski slopes.

At Sunday River Brewing Co., there's a steady stream of downhill skiers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers, manager John Ochtera said.

"They're still out doing it, they still have to get in their hobbies," Ochtera said.

Price-conscious skiers can also take advantage of smaller resorts, Sweetser said. Powderhouse Hill in South Berwick is just $5 a day for a basic rope-tow mountain, he said.

Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook is as busy as ever with its 12-year-old cross-country skiing business. Local hotels refer visitors to them, and residents say they like supporting a local family-run farm. This year, more visitors seem to be from the Boston area, owner Deb Knight said.

"People see that it's a great deal, and they can do it close to home," Knight said. "They're only 10 minutes from Portland, and they just feel like they are out in paradise."

Winter sports visitors also boost other local businesses, from antique stores to book shops. Local chamber of commerce officials in Bethel and Bridgton say it has been a good winter. In addition to local ski areas, the region draws many winter tourists for ice fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and other outdoor activities, such as the Mushers Bowl in Bridgton.

"My belly tells me that ever since the gas crisis, people are taking shorter trips," said Mike McClellan, executive director of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.

Most encouraging of all, resort executives say, is that they still have a lot of winter season to go.

"March is a big month and so is April. There's a lot that remains to be seen," said Sugarloaf's Austin. "We're fairly optimistic."

By NOEL K. GALLAGHERand DEIRDRE FLEMING, Staff Writers, Portland Press Herald, February 22, 2009


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