Courtesy / Maine Tourism Association
Tony Cameron, Maine Tourism Association CEO.
June 19, 2020
Constant push forward is key to salvaging tourist industry for 2021, tourism official says
Courtesy / Maine Tourism Association
A screen shot from the Voices of Maine Tourism video, released in May, which shows the variety of businesses that make up the industry.
By Maureen Milliken
Maine's tourist industry isn't talking about profits anymore this year. "Today it's about the survival of businesses," Tony Cameron, CEO of the Maine Tourism Association said Wednesday.
Cameron, in a Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce Chamber Connect webinar, said a constant push from the industry is needed to prevent collapse of the state's biggest economic driver and keep it alive so it can come back next year.
Every day lost in the state's short summer tourism season is another blow it will be hard to recover from, he told those tuning into the Zoom webinar.
The $6.5 billion industry normally brings 37 million people to the state and supports more than 110,000 jobs, with much of that in the summer. Shutdowns to slow the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the season to a screeching halt, and industry leaders have been pushing back against the state's reopening plan, which requires a 14-day in-state quarantine for most out of state visitors, or a negative COVID-19 test.
The focus now is on getting businesses to survive this year "so we can recover for next year," Cameron said.
The Maine Tourism Association, a nonprofit that works with the state Office of Tourism on marketing and branding, publishes the yearly state tourism guide and runs seven visitor centers. It is collaborating with groups like HospitalityMaine and the Retail Association of Maine to come up with solutions.
"The best way to restart the economy is by restarting travel," Cameron said. Maine has a leg up, because it's a state many visitors drive to, but there's a lot to overcome to make that happen this summer. It will take a big marketing effort, as well as continual pressure on the state to ease restrictions for visitors, he said.
"The urgency is incredible," he said. "Every five minutes there's something new."
'Here we are in June'
Last Friday, the organizations, joined by the Ski Maine and the Maine Campground Owners Association, unveiled an $800 million recovery plan that would use money from the $1.25 billion the state was awarded by the federal CARES Act earlier this spring. The disbursement is up to the state Legislature and Gov. Janet Mills.
The plan was the most ambitious of efforts that started in March, when the shutdowns began.
A partnership with Poland Spring, which provided the seed money, established the Toursim Relief Fund in April. The $100,000 fund provides grants for small businesses hit by the pandemic.
The MTA collaborated with businesses like Bissell Bros. Brewing and Experience Maine on special products, with proceeds going to the relief fund.
"That was all back in April and here were are in June, still needed a lot more relief," Cameron said.
Voices of Maine Tourism
The association, besides having to learn how to deal with the economic fallout of a pandemic, has also focused on what it does best — marketing the state. The MTA has added to its Voices of Maine Tourism video promotion with a new one last month that not only stresses the variety of businesses affected by the shutdowns, but also the resilience many are showing in dealing with it.
Promoting the safety of Maine restaurants, lodging establishments, retail and recreation venues is a top priority.
He's also hoping for a strong fall season. "We need it to be strong so businesses can make it through the winter," he said.
The organization hasn't been immune from the crisis — it laid off 34 of its 90 employees.
Cameron is new to the Maine Tourism Association, starting in early March. He told Mainebiz at the time he was optimistic, despite the pandemic.
More than three months later, he said, "Tourism is certainly resilient, but it's never had to face a challenge like this one."
Still, he told the group he's optimistic that in the long run, the industry will weather the storm.
"I'm really proud of the people we serve," he said.
"It's one of the best industries in the world," he said.
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