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Tourism Plan Invites Old Friends, New Visitors

May 13, 2009 - AUGUSTA -- Maine isn't just about moose, lobsters and lighthouses.

It is also a place for bird watching, eating and golfing.

That is the idea the Maine Office of Tourism hopes to convey with its new advertising campaign: "There's More To Maine."

The new campaign was unveiled Friday, just in time for the spring and summer tourist season. The state plans to spend $900,000 running ads in newspapers, magazines and television to push the message that the state offers a wide variety of attractions.

"We go beyond the activities people generally think of when they think of Maine," said Pat Eltman, director of the Maine Office of Tourism.

Maine tourism officials plan to make a heavy advertising pitch in Boston, New York and Canada, consistently the state's top markets. The goal is to remind annual visitors why they come to Maine every year and lure others who haven't visited for a while.

The advertising campaign was designed by the Swardlick Marketing Group of Portland. David Swardlick, agency president, said the goal of the ads is to entice new visitors.

"People love the combination of the beautiful landscape and all these other exciting things to do," Swardlick said.

The campaign also will try to convince more Mainers to vacation in-state this summer with newspaper inserts May 16 and 17. And the tourism office is teaming up with other New England states to lure visitors from the United Kingdom and Germany, the top European markets for the region. The French are partial to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Tourism businesses are gearing up for the summer season, which last year saw 30 million people visit the state, up five-eighths of 1 percent from the year before, despite gas prices that reached an all-time high as the recession began to grip the region.

Tourism officials hope this summer will be at least as good.

"Flat is the new up in tourism, as far as I am concerned," Eltman said.

Tourism is the state's largest industry. It generates about $10 billion a year in Maine, employing 140,000 people.

Maine will not be the only New England state once again urging residents to take "staycations." Tourism officials in New Hampshire are hoping residents will stay put this summer with the state's "You're going to love it here" tourism slogan.

Tourism is the second-largest industry in New Hampshire, where it generates $4.5 billion a year and employs 67,000 people. Last year, 34 million people visited the state.

In Rhode Island, which doesn't have a slogan, tourism officials are promoting "Rhode trips" to keep residents home this summer, said state tourism director Mark Brodeur. Tourism is the No. 2 industry in that state, generating $6.8 billion last year, employing 55,000 and drawing 17 million visitors.

Vermont is also launching an aggressive campaign in Boston, New York and Montreal and banking on the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial – this year marks the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's exploration of the region – to draw visitors this summer.

About 14.3 million visitors made a trip to Vermont in 2007, generating $1.6 billion and employing 37,500 people, according to the latest information from the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.

Maine tourism officials say advertisements are sure to lure more tourists to the state.

"The television ad is very upbeat," said Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Association.

Richard Grotton, executive director of the Maine Restaurant Association, called this year's campaign the best in five years.

"I totally agree with the premise of focusing our dollars on the Boston and New York markets. We are back to our roots," Grotton said.

The new state slogan replaces last year's "It Must Be Maine."

By BETH QUIMBY, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, May 9, 2009


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