'Amazing' winter tourism season continues as state focuses on destination tourism
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Snowmobiles are as common as cars during the winter at Bissell Bros. tap room in Milo, which is on the Maine Interconnected Trail System. Snowmobile registrations in the state were at a 10-year high this year.
As the state looks to begin a bigger push on “destination tourism,” several winter sports groups have announced Maine had an “amazing winter” for winter recreation.
There were more than six months of skiing and 90,000 snowmobile registrations this season, the Maine Office of Tourism, in collaboration with Ski Maine Association and the Maine Snowmobile Association announced Wednesday.
Many of those who ski and snowmobile in Maine come from out of state, industry leaders say. Last spring, the state announced a 3.6% rise in winter tourism.
On April 9 and 10, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and office of tourism will host the 2019 Governor’s Conference on Tourism, where destination tourism will be a focus.
“Maine’s tourism industry plays a critical role in supporting our state’s economy and our quality of life,” said Mills in a news release Wednesday. “By showcasing Maine’s beauty to visitors from around the world, our tourism industry helps build our state’s brand and ensures that people, regardless of where they live, know that Maine is an extraordinary place to visit, live, and work.”
Strong winter season
The state’s biggest winter destination tourism industries didn’t have season figures this week, but said that skiing and snowmobiling seasons were strong and a deep snowpack and good conditions means they’ll continue in some parts of the state for weeks.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's snow depth map shows that the majority of northern Maine has maintained a considerable snow base, upwards of two feet.
Mills also signed a bill that extends the ice fishing season in northern Maine to April 21. It usually ends March 31.
It is the first time in 10 years, snowmobile registration has hit the 90,000 mark, the MSA said.
While groomers have started to slow their trail maintenance, they continue to groom when temperatures dip below freezing at night.
MSA Executive Director Bob Meyers said that the state’s snowmobile clubs “have and will continue to do a terrific job this season as long as the snow and grooming funds continue.”
He said if sledders go easy on the trails, they’ll be able to ride into mid-April.
Go easy on the trails and you will likely be able to ride well into April."
Maine’s Interconnected Trail System has 4,000 miles of trails, and there are another 10,000 miles of non-ITS trails. Many connect to restaurants, outfitters and other businesses related to snowmobiling and winter recreation.
Trails in Aroostook county, the Katahdin region and Portage are still going strong, the news release said.
Ski areas, both Alpine and Nordic, are also still doing well in much of Maine.
Greg Sweetser, executive director of Ski Maine, said according to Ski Maine's calculations, there were 25 solid weeks of skiing throughout the 2018-19 winter season, equating to more than six months of skiing.
"Nearly every ski area has operated throughout March, and we saw record crowds following last week's snowstorm," said Sweetser.
He said while the coming weekend will wind down the season at community ski areas, it will be the official spring kick-off at the larger destination resorts."
Sugarloaf and Sunday River will continue to operate in April, and the Maine Huts & Trails snow report Wednesday showed the major Nordic trails still have at least 29 inches of base snow with a frozen granular surface.
Upcoming events, conference
Both ski and snowmobile industries have planned events for the spring, including the Sledageddon Snowmobile Weekend, April 5-7 at Lost Valley in Auburn, and the Snowmobile King of the Mountain Hill Climb, April 6 at Big Rock Mountain in Mars Hill.
Skiing will feature the World Pro Ski Tour starting tomorrow at Sunday River, in Newry. This weekend also features the Banked Slalom competition at Sugarloaf, in Carrabassett Valley.
Snow reports are released each Wednesday throughout the season and posted on VisitMaine.com where visitors can also find information about other winter activities and events. The tourism office also encourages people enjoying the Maine winter to share their photos on social media using #MaineWinter.
The tourism conference, which will be held at the Augusta Civic Center, will have breakout sessions that will address critical issues for the future growth of Maine tourism, with a focus on skills-building, collaborative efforts and tactics for expanding awareness of Maine as a leading destination.
The theme references the Maine Office of Tourism’s new Five-Year Strategic Plan for 2019-24, which will be introduced at the conference.
“Our goal is not only to promote Maine to visitors from outside of the state, but also to support the development of Maine’s tourism industry,” said Steve Lyons, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. “The learning opportunities at the annual conference, whether technical skills-building workshops, reporting on trends, or sharing best practices within the industry, all give Maine’s tourism industry tools and ideas they can apply to their own businesses and use to grow.”
Maine’s annual tourism conference brings together approximately 400 industry businesses, organizations and stakeholders from across the state each year for an exchange of ideas and best practices to help build one of Maine’s most vital and valuable industries.
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